The Hyuuga Curse
by Bullwinkle's Lady
Summary: In the bureau Sasuke found a few more big tan jackets (which made him twitch), multiple orange panties (which made him twitch even more for some reason), and a few other...girl...things. A Light in Darkness Re-Write. SasuHina.
1. Meeting

Since a week prior when the war had ended, Hyuuga Hiashi had been on edge. He had stopped eating, and didn't sleep much either. He spent his days pouring over scrolls, and his nights curled up in front of the living room fire, staring into it, as though willing it to consume him. He demanded at that all the curtains in the house be drawn shut, and drifted along the shadows, looking more fearful and sallow with every passing day.

One day when Hinata was away on mission, Hiashi summoned his youngest daughter and his nephew to his quarters.

Hanabi and Neji were decidedly concerned. Frightful that their guardian was dying, they knelt at his bedside urging him to tell them what had him so troubled.

In stark contrast to his usual composure, Hiashi was haggard that morning. He climbed up from bed and began to pace whilst chewing the nail of his left thumb. A few times he paused and stared strangely at the two youths, before he resumed with his pacing, his chewing, and his muttering.

Finally, he stopped. "It's about the curse," he whispered.

A curse? What curse? They beseeched that he continue!

"The Hyuuga curse," said Hiashi, watching horror grow in Neji and Hanabi's eyes.

"A curse?" said Neji. "Like the Uchiha curse?"

"Worse!" said Hiashi. "_Much_ worse. I fear we're all affected by it at some point in our lives. As Hinata is the Hyuuga heir, I was hoping she would be spared, but – well-" he sighed. "With the end of the war, everything has changed. You see... When two powerful doujutsu users of differing clans come together, the sexual tension is unparalleled. The more powerful the user, the more potent the attraction. Hinata is not to be allowed anywhere near Uchiha Sasuke."

Neji and Hanabi blinked. Their expressions of horror and anguish slowly transformed into confusion, and then...annoyance.

"Wait," said Neji. "That's it?" His eyebrow twitched.

"Oh no, it's much more! This curse has destroyed clans far greater than ours!"

"So to simplify this – Hinata's not allowed to date Sasuke," said Hanabi. Neji was already walking out of the room.

"She's not allowed anywhere _near _him," Hiashi corrected her. "Tonight I will be leaving for negotiations in Kumo and will not be back for some months. Hanabi, I leave my will with you."

* * *

"You want us to _date_ him?" said Kiba, wrinkling his nose. "Sorry, I don't swing that way."

Tsunade rubbed her temple. Reasonining with Kiba was like arguing with a five-year-old. "I at no point said I wanted _anyone _to date the Uchiha."

"Distract him, date him, same difference!" snarled Kiba.

"I'm not dating him!" another chunnin cried.

"I already _have _a girlfriend," said Rock Lee, looking scandalized.

Tsunade felt her headache begin to intensify. She blindly rummaged in her desk until her fingers wrapped around a bottle of sake. "No one is _dating _him," she reiterated through her clenched teeth. "I strongly suspect romancing _any of you _is the last thing on his mind. Uchiha Sasuke has returned to Konoha after being a missing nin for the past five years. All I ask is that we have an extra pair of eyes on him at all times. Naruto and Sakura will take up most of this slack, but they _do _have missions, so in their absence-"

"Hinata will do it," said Hanabi, cutting Tsunade off. Everyone turned and stared at the young Hyuuga.

Several of the village chunnin had been summoned to the Hokage's office that afternoon, but Hinata was still on mission. Her younger sister had been sent to the meeting in her stead. And as the group bantered about the inconveniences of dating an Uchiha, several thoughts had circulated then run rampant in Hanabi's mind. Like her father's appeal that Hinata stay _as far away from Sasuke as possible_, and the simple fact that if Hinata _did _get caught up in someone so unhinged, it would likely derail her course for clan head. "Hinata will definitely do it," Hanabi said, somehow containing her smirk.

The Hokage looked skeptical. "I'd rather hear that directly from her..."

"I was sent here as my sister's representative. Whatever I say is definitive," said Hanabi, even though it wasn't entirely true.

About the office, Hanabi was receiving a variety of looks. From Ino, there was suspicion, from Shikamaru, disinterest, from Sakura, relief, and from Shino, concern. Kiba's was the only threatening expression. He began cracking his knuckles and mouthed something that looked strongly like _I'm going to kill you,_ but Hanabi averted her gaze.

Tsunade was mulling this all over. Only half her attention was on the matter at hand, the other half on the sake bottle discreetly clasped in her hand. "Well – fine then. Please deliver this mission scroll to your sister. It should have everything she needs to know. Have her notify me if there are any problems."

Hanabi stepped forward and took the proffered scroll. "Thank you Hokage-sama."

* * *

Several days later, Hinata sleepily looked over her new mission scroll. "I have to...what?" Look after Sasuke? Why would the Hokage give her such a mission? She glanced at Hanabi, who shrugged, looking just as confused as she was.

Hinata pressed her lips. Oh well. It was a mission, and she would complete it. It was her will of fire! ...or something... She scratched her head and realized she had never actually spoken to Sasuke, and they had never been formally introduced. She didn't even think they had met eyes. What color were his, she wondered. Sasuke was a doujutsu-user, and his eye-color seemed like it would be fairly obvious. She tried to picture his gaze, but just couldn't produce a mental image. Again she mused about how peculiar it was that she had been given such a mission.

Hinata thanked Hanabi for the scroll and closed her bedroom door to get ready for her mission. She failed to see her sister's blank expression twist into an evil sneer.

In her bedroom, Hinata got dressed in her usual shinobi attire. She untangled her long hair, and wrapped her hitai-ate about her throat. She went over the scroll again, and tried to mentally catalogue everything she knew about Sasuke. He was a recently-reformed missing nin, but she would try not to let that intimidate her. He was Naruto-kun's best friend... her mind momentarily drifted, but she quickly refocused. He was strong. He was obstinate. He was...

Rather thin.

* * *

The seventeen-year-old Sasuke stood in the living room of his apartment that morning, taking his fighting stance, and adjusting it to its potential. _I should guard my knees,_ he thought, crouching slightly. _Nothing could get to my head..._ Even so, he raised his arms a little. Any opponent was likely to target the sharingan.

He paused as his stomach growled, then scowled. He hadn't eaten anything the previous night. He was surprised Naruto hadn't stopped by to sprinkle some food over him as though he was an animal. Everyone had been treating him with caution and suspicion the past few days.

Sasuke returned his attention to the task at hand: to improve his stance and find what needed to be guarded the most. _My head, my eyes..._ he shook his head. _Nothing can touch my eyes._ Again, he lowered his hands. _My throat, my stomach, my heart..._

His mind drifted to what the second Hokage had told him during their rare encounter just before the end of the war. That the Uchiha were a _cursed clan_, powered by their emotions, driven by heartache. He scoffed and clenched his fists.

A sudden tapping noise penetrated his thoughts.

Dropping his stance, Sasuke glared at the door. _Probably Naruto, to check up on me again,_ he thought in annoyance. He approached the door and threw it open.

_She_...wasn't Naruto.

White eyes. Hyuuga. Hyuuga...female...something. His mind spun. What was this Hyuuga doing at his door? He was vaguely aware that he was staring, but what concerned him more, was that she was staring back, her lips parted. Lovely pink lips.

At the same moment, they caught themselves. As he glanced away, she abruptly looked down. From the corner of his eye he watched her raise the basket she carried. "I cooked." She forced a smile.

He glanced her over. "What else can you do?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Re-write of A Light in Darkness. Yes, I changed the title. I'm even changing the plotline to rationalize how perverted this story seems to be. I can't definitively tell you how much is being re-written and changed, I myself do not know. If the original A Light in Darkness and Light haven't already been deleted, they will be deleted shortly.

'Hyuuga Curse' of course is a play off the 'Uchiha Curse,' in the latest manga chapter. Oh yes, the power of emotions! I'm hoping to eliminate most of the angst and make this less "intense" and such. I'm not gonna say it won't be a challenge, so I need all the support I can get!

Meanwhile, please vote on side-pairings. Lee will probably be with Tenten, and Shikamaru with Temari, but everything else is up in the air. With Gaara, it's tricky, because the person I used originally died in the manga.


	2. Prey

It took him a moment to remember her name, the one Naruto called out so fondly to her whenever they crossed paths. _Hinata._

The girl in question walked passed him, entering his apartment without invitation. She lowered her picnic basket to his kitchen counter before throwing him a weak smile and saying, shadily, "I thought you could use a good meal."

He noticed the insinuation behind her remark. "You're thinner than I am," he noted.

"Well I'm a girl." Hinata belatedly caught herself, and blushed.

Sasuke's cheek twitched. "This is my normal body weight," he said.

She surveyed him with doubt. "You're so pale."

"Compared to who? Naruto?" He watched her blush deepen, confirming his suspicions. So he wasn't as brawny as Naruto, nor was he as tan, or...stupid. He wondered if she thought him nothing more than some ocean-dwelling squid. "I haven't been back very long. All I have are baggy clothes right now. I'm not so bad underneath them..." He trailed off as he realized what he had said. Hinata's face reddened more.

He didn't know why he kept talking. It wasn't as though he cared what she thought. He glanced her over, noting that she was wearing loose clothes as well. So what was _her_ excuse? Sasuke looked away and tried to move his thoughts from clothes and body types. "You cooked," he deadpanned.

Hinata blinked, suddenly remembering the meal she had prepared. "Un!" she said, rummaging through the basket. She began to pull out a small assortment of food.

Sasuke was bothered when the aroma aggravated his hunger. She was clearly a fangirl. He had to resist. "I'm not...interested," he mentioned robotically.

Hinata looked up at him in confusion. A smile suddenly broke across face. "This is my mission."

"What?"

"Tsunade-sama sent me. She wants me to...um...k-keep you c-company."

So she wasn't a fangirl. He reluctantly joined her by the counter and took the riceball she offered him. He tasted it and decided she wasn't a horrible cook. She was actually a fairly decent cook, not that he'd expend the energy to mention it.

"What are your favorite foods?" said Hinata conversationally.

Sasuke eyed her suspiciously, whilst continuing to eat his riceball. Her face fell, and she didn't pursue the matter.

Hinata would probably make a good wife. Not that he wanted a wife, he didn't like girls, which wasn't to say he liked boys... Sasuke refrained from hitting himself, and wondered if this was a consequence of being alone for so long. He wasn't accustomed to women who didn't spend all their time unintentionally repulsing him, and was suddenly having thoughts about this plain-looking Hyuuga with little sex appeal to speak of. Tirelessly he had searched her form for any indication of femininity. At least Karin had nice hips, and Temari had decent breasts. He tried to mentally combine those features, and picture what it would look like on a woman, but he just wasn't imaginative enough. It was a hazard of the occupation, he supposed. Then again, since when was he interested in girls? It must have been something in the Konoha air. The stench of peace was clearly inebriating him, reacquainting him with hormones he hadn't noticed since puberty. He glanced up, and noticed Hinata staring at him. She quickly looked away.

"I don't need a babysitter," said Sasuke. Again, he scrutinized her excessively-loose apparel.

"Of course Sasuke-kun, I'm just here to help."

Sasuke simply watched her, deciding she could stay as long as there was food. It wasn't as if she had any power over him.

* * *

Hinata got up early the next morning so she could make Sasuke lunch before she left for training. It was the only way he was going to let her in. Absently, she wondered which of them was being manipulated.

The Uchiha seemed to have been displeased with what she had made him the previous day. Today she made him a bento with sushi, and put vegetables in his riceballs instead of meat. Everything had to be perfect! Hanabi strolled by to notice her sister painstakingly putting together the meal.

"What's for breakfast?" inquired the younger Hyuuga.

"Sorry, no time," said Hinata distractedly.

Hanabi frowned. Hinata usually made breakfast for her and Neji. She pressed her lips and thought for a moment. "So, how did it go-?"

"Fine, everything was f-fine," said Hinata.

She was stuttering. That was definitely a good sign. "Nothing weird?"

Hinata paused to finally look at her sister. "No, why?"

"No reason," said Hanabi. She grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the table and strolled off.

Hinata scratched her cheek as she watched Hanabi leave. Something odd _had _occurred, but it was nothing...noticeable. She had always known Sasuke to be attractive. Everyone did. With his light skin, raven hair, firm brow, and dark eyes, he had most of the girls in Konoha fighting for his attention. But whereas they were lured by his external appearance, she had always been repelled by his infamous apathy. Uchiha Sasuke had never appealed to her, and yet, several times had caught herself staring. Barely a few dozen words had been exchanged between them, yet she couldn't have been more intrigued.

Hinata lightly shook her head. The war was over. The air of peace was probably just getting to her.

* * *

That morning, Sasuke was summoned to the Hokage's office. He had expected as much to occur in the coming days. Merciful as Konoha was, they would not allow a former missing nin back into their ranks without some sort of punishment.

He released an annoyed sigh as he shoved the door open, surprised to see Kakashi standing beside the Hokage's desk. He eyed the man.

"It's good to see you're doing better, Sasuke," Kakashi mentioned, his visible eye crinkled cheerfully. "Though you're looking rather thin."

Sasuke's fists clenched, but he refrained from commenting. He wasn't thin, he was perfectly normal! It wasn't his fault he had no properly-fitting clothes.

Deciding it best to ignore the man, as he was likely baiting him, Sasuke instead turned his attention toward the Hokage who silently watched him, her elbows on her desk, her fingers entwined, and chin resting on her knuckles. She surveyed him for a while before clearing her throat. "Your punishment has been decided."

"Aa," responded Sasuke, uncaring. There was nothing she could do to him that hadn't been done already.

Tsunade looked exceedingly solemn. There was pity in her eyes. "You will be moving in with Kakashi."

Sasuke blanched. Before he could voice his adamant protests, Tsunade continued-

"Moving in, as in residing within Kakashi's apartment, sleeping there, _living_ there. For six months, at least. When you leave depends solely on your behavior. Kakashi will be your guardian, a sort of _baby-sitter_," She smirked at this. "And he will keep you in check. You will obey his rules, and any violation of them will only heighten your punishment."

She waited for Sasuke to absorb this information, but it didn't seem he had registered any words following: "You will be moving in with Kakashi." He simply...stared, his mouth hanging open. The Hokage glanced at Kakashi who seemed to have already lost interest, for he was absorbed in the latest Icha Icha issue. She smiled, and continued, "You will not be allowed to leave the house without an escort, whether it be Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, or another approved shinobi. When you return, you must always have an alibi. If you cannot state where you have been every moment of every day, you will be brought here for questioning. Understood?"

* * *

He didn't understand. Yes, he had defected, run off with a convicted felon, become the leader of a criminal organization, aggravated a war, and tried to destroy the village, but _Kakashi_ – Kakashi was a freak of nature.

Silently smoldering, Sasuke looked around his apartment and tried to decide what he would pack. It wasn't as though he had many personal possessions. He paused at a knock on the door.

When Sasuke opened it, he was surprised to see that Hinata had returned, the same basket clutched in her arms.

He tried to detach it from her, but she clutched it to herself. When he tried more aggressively to take the basket away, she cried out as though he was trying to snatch a baby. Several of his neighbors poked their heads out of their apartments to ogle the Uchiha and the innocent Hyuuga girl.

Sasuke reluctantly let Hinata inside, firmly closing the door behind her. He clenched his jaw. "You're back," he stated flatly.

"I thought we could have lunch together," said Hinata, throwing him a strained smile. He could tell she didn't want to be there.

"Like a date?" said Sasuke.

Hinata's cheeks reddened and her smile fell. She was easily embarrassed. He could work that to his advantage.

"N-no-" she stammered.

"If you're not a fangirl, and you're not a teammate, I can only assume you're my girlfriend," said Sasuke.

She opened and closed her mouth.

"And as such, I have certain expectations." Like a fox stalking its prey, he approached her, carefully closing their distance. She backed away in the meantime, when he suddenly lunged for her-

Hinata disappeared in a flash of white, the door slamming shut behind her.

Sasuke eyed it in her wake. He chomped on a riceball, mildly satisfied with his success.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Haha, I love how distraught they are with each other's apparent lack of sex appeal. Baggy clothes indeed.

Hm, I don't usually let myself do long author's notes because I'm pretty lame...

Anways, hi guys, The Hyuuga Curse is a romance. Just because it's under the humor genre doesn't mean I'm going for fits of laughter. If you're looking for an aggressive humor, click on Date Night, Bathhouse, A Christmas Story, etcetera, etcetera.

A Light in Darkess was also, always a lightweight story compared to The Chaos Theory, The Benefits of Amnesia, and maybe even Light. Of course it's been blown out of proportion, but if you're expecting me to do backflips, look somewhere else. Of course, some chapters have more depth and description than others.

So, a lot of you had a lot to say. Unfortunately, I can't respond to everyone individually. I made an "A Light in Darkness Complaints" thread in my fanfiction dot net forum if you have any other concerns about the original story that I don't address right now, so don't expect me to respond anywhere else but that thread from here on out. If you review, no more complaints.

So yeah, you guys misunderstood, my intent with the altered plotline is to rationalize how perverted Sasuke is in A Light in Darkness. Of course, in this one, Hinata is more mature, and Sasuke is less of a freak of nature, so yeah, there will definitely be lots of mutual pervertedness this time around. But also, more maturity to go with it.

Anyway, the original was written by a depraved teenager. It was pretty ridiculous, the way it fluctuated between humor and angst. Hinata failed to significantly develop, all the side-characters were unrealistically crazy/evil. One moment Sasuke was a crazy-suicidal-rapist-cutter, and the next he'd be trying to get into Hinata's pants. It just made no sense!

Which isn't to say this version won't have drama. It just won't be as nonsensical. A Light in Darkess was always just a romance/humor with random angst sprinkled in the most arbitrary of places, so I just got rid of the random-angst.

Though of course I have to consider that Light is heavier in terms of genre, so I'll keep that in mind when we get to that stage in the game.

As a teenager, I was a strong romance writer, but I wasn't a strong writer in general. So as an adult, I just can't be held accountable for things I wrote as a teenager. A Light in Darkness was irreparably flawed. I would go over it endlessly and wonder how I could possibly fix it, but all my options seemed to lead to my torturing myself. It had its charm, but it was flawed at a fundamental level.

No, you can't have the originals, though maybe they're being traded for bath salts on the SasuHina black market. Any scenes I exclude may or may not be turned into one-shots not unlike my story Parenting, so let me know as the story progresses. If there's a scene I exclude I'll see what I can do.

And think on the bright side. Wouldn't you like to see the recreation of scenes I wrote as a teeny bopper re-written by adult-Winkle? More importantly, don't you want to see this story completed once and for all?


	3. Kakashi's Apartment

Kakashi's home was surprisingly...normal. It almost seemed that the man was...human.

The front door led directly to the living room, which consisted of a couch, a coffee table, and two large windows. Four doors led out from the living room, one to the kitchen, one to the bathroom, another to Kakashi's bedroom, and the last to...a closet?

As a precaution, Sasuke took the liberty of searching the apartment – thoroughly.

The kitchen was as plain as the living room. It had a small round table in the center, general appliances, and a few cabinets. The bathroom, as well, was simply a bathroom. There was nothing significant, nothing spectacular, or _strange_.

There was coffee in the coffee canister, laundry in the hamper, cookies in the cookie jar – complete and utter insanity! No traps, no weaponry – no hidden cameras!

The jounin seemed amused. "Looking for anything in particular?"

Sasuke glared at him with continued suspicion.

Kakashi sighed. "This is _your _room," he mentioned, motioning toward what Sasuke had assumed to be a closet.

Sasuke's new bedroom was very small, containing only a bed, a bureau, and a lamp. There was but one window which stood just over the bed. In fact, if someone stood outside of it, they could watch him sleep. As the apartment was on the ground floor, Sasuke was alarmed by how accessible it would be to fangirls.

"And _this_ is your bed," said Kakashi, as though Sasuke could not, in fact, identify a bed. The gray-haired man placed his hand on the mattress and pressed down on the springs, causing them to creak. "_Bouncy._" Kakashi's visible eye crinkled eerily.

Sasuke was all too accustomed to his sensei's not-so-subtle implications that he needed to get laid. His eyebrow ceased to twitch only as the jounin lost interest in harassing him and strolled away. In his absence, Sasuke stared at the mattress, then he himself experimentally pressed on the springs.

Hum.

* * *

He was intrigued that she had returned. She...always returned.

When Hinata arrived to his apartment, Sasuke was sitting on the ground outside of it, one of his legs drawn, and his back to a wall. Hinata stared at him in confusion before kneeling down beside him.

"I'm allergic to shellfish," Sasuke said impassively. It was an arbitrary disclosure. As Hinata continued to stare, one of his eyebrows raised, as though _she_ was the odd one.

Hinata lightly shook herself, suspending her confusion. "Yes – i-it was in your file," she said, noticing that Sasuke's hand had already snaked its way into the basket she clutched.

He paused halfway to retrieving something. He suddenly looked violated, perhaps wondering who else had access to his confidential medical information.

"Especially lobster," Hinata cheerfully added, proud of herself for her thorough research. She then frowned to herself. It was a shame. Lobster was delicious.

Sasuke simply eyed her, and Hinata's attention shifted back to their positions on the floor.

"Ano...why are you...?" She was distracted when Sasuke successfully detached the basket from her grasp, taking it into his custody.

"I've been forced to move in with Kakashi," he said.

Hinata blinked. "Oh..." she trailed off, absently staring at his lips. "Then why are you...?"

Sasuke bit an apple, then glanced her over. "I was hungry," he said flatly.

"R-right." She didn't know why she felt flustered all the sudden. It seemed Sasuke liked her cooking after all.

So lost was Hinata in her thoughts, she failed to notice as Sasuke got up and stalked away, her basket in tow. After a few moments, Hinata regained awareness of her surroundings, then blanched, and hurried after him.

* * *

Over the next few days, Kakashi watched as Sasuke came and went, usually covered in cuts and bruises from training with Naruto. "You probably haven't eaten. We have some canned-"

"Not hungry," Sasuke mentioned as he walked off.

Kakashi frowned. Sasuke _never_ seemed to be hungry. He had no access to his money as it had all been seized by the village, and thus he had no means of getting food. Maybe he had an eating disorder? No...that just didn't seem consistent with his heavy training regime. "What _do_ you eat?" Kakashi decided to ask. He was rather curious, what with always being stuck with instant foods himself.

His only answer was an awkward shrug. "...Whatever."

Kakashi stared as Sasuke entered his bedroom and snapped the door closed. The boy ate "whatever?"

It was the next morning, when Kakashi awoke early to prepare for a mission, that he heard voices. _Voices, _coming from Sasuke's bedroom. _What the hell?_

As much as Kakashi tried to ignore it – he couldn't! He found his feet carrying him toward the room.

_Does he have a girl in there?_ Kakashi wondered, curious as hell. He was so curious, in fact, that he felt the need to press his ear to the door. _Not Sakura?_ he wondered, listening the best he could.

That's when the door swung open to reveal the Uchiha himself, looking annoyed. "Can I help you with something?" he asked through grit teeth.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. He peered past Sasuke into the small room, but saw no one else. "Uh...no?"

When the door slammed shut in his face, Kakashi decided that next time he would, perhaps, try the window.

Over the next few days, Kakashi noticed other oddities about the Uchiha. When not training, the boy seemed to obsess himself with things like reading, cleaning, and...banging his head against hard surfaces. The gray-haired jounin truly tried his best to ignore these things, however, it was proving to be extremely difficult.

"Having...fun?" Kakashi bravely asked one afternoon, watching as Sasuke took the liberty of painting the walls of his bedroom...purple.

The brunette sent him a death glare. "It – was – too – white," he seethed.

Feeling alarmed, Kakashi decided to take his leave, _What is going on with him?_ he wondered as he hurried off to the adult video store.

But as Sasuke's oddness grew, so did Kakashi's anxieties. Soon he could no longer take the curiosity! Deciding it was time to confront the teenager once and for all, Kakashi swallowed his nerves and knocked on Sasuke's bedroom door.

* * *

Hinata's head had been fuzzy over the past few days. Sometimes she got lost in her thoughts, and sometimes...her thoughts weren't very constructive at all. She regularly reminded herself to direct them to Naruto, and to stop thinking about the nin sitting across from her.

Sasuke was watching her that afternoon. He took to doing so blatantly now with no efforts to be subtle. Hinata could tell he was trying to repel her, but she was committed to her mission!

Sasuke, however, was on a completely different page. Still quietly surprised that he had managed to lure Hinata to his bedroom for the purposes of not having to see, hear, or share food with Kakashi, he was seated on his bed, where they ate together in silence. He privately wondered if she was naïve as she seemed, or if she was getting at what he was getting at... After several moments of eying her in contemplation, he bit the inside of his cheek and forced out three stupid words: "You look warm."

Hinata looked up, finally meeting his gaze. "What? No, I'm fine," she said dismissively. She went back to staring at his purple walls.

Sasuke's cheek twitched. The Hyuuga had the sexual aptitude of a carrot. "Take off your jacket," he said. He had meant to suggest it, but had ended up ordering it.

Hinata blinked. "W-why?"

She wasn't threatening in the sense that he thought she would kill him in his sleep or shave her head then mail him her hair. In fact, the Hyuuga was incredibly plain, so his undertaking should have been a lot easier. He saw the way she looked at him...then again, his experience with girls was incredibly limited. "It's warm in here," he reiterated. "You should take it off."

Hinata blushed. It seemed they were finally on the same page. "I-I c-can open the window-"

"Hyuuga," Sasuke deadpanned.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at door. Already impatient, Sasuke got up and unthinkingly answered it. He paused at seeing Kakashi.

Kakashi took the opportunity to look into the room. He was surprised to see the cute Hyuuga heiress sitting on Sasuke's bed whilst blushing hotly. His visible eye narrowing, Kakashi's gaze turned back to Sasuke, who seemed to be deliberating an answer to just the question the jounin was about to ask:

"What's going on in here?"


	4. Intimate Spar

"We're – training together," Sasuke mentioned, before hearing himself and wanting to hit himself.

"In your bedroom?_ I'm sure you are._" Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. He absently pondered upon all the ways Hyuuga Hiashi would torture the boy for fooling around with his eldest daughter. All Sasuke's odd behavior suddenly made sense now. _The boy's having an identity crisis, _Kakashi thought smugly.

Sasuke seemed alarmed by the jounin's assumption, but quickly wiped his expression clean, and replaced it with glare.

Kakashi merely chuckled to himself and pulled a handful of condoms out of his pockets. He proceeded to stuff them into Sasuke's hands before strolling off, continuing to chuckle. The Uchiha stared after him, his jaw slack.

"Sasuke-kun?" said Hinata.

Hastily stuffing the condoms into his own pockets, Sasuke turned back to her. "Let's train," he said, irritated by Kakashi's accusation. He suddenly wanted to prove him otherwise, failing to notice how the man was manipulating him.

Hinata seemed caught off. "But – I –"

"Let's go," said Sasuke, already walking off. Hinata had little choice but to follow him.

On the way to the training grounds, Sasuke was so distracted, he made the error of walking by Ichiraku. "Oi, Sasuke! Hinata-chan!" someone called out. Sasuke kept walking, but Hinata stopped dead in her tracks. Sasuke glanced back at her.

"Yo," said Sasuke noncommittally. He nodded to Naruto, and reluctantly joined him and Hinata.

Hinata had somehow regressed to sweating and fidgeting in Naruto's presence. Presently she was pressing her pointer fingers together while staring at the ground.

"What are you two up to?" said Naruto. He nodded to the Hyuuga, as he wasn't expecting much cooperation from Sasuke.

Hinata blushed at being addressed. "W-we're j-just – w-we're just g-going-"

To Sasuke's intrigue, her stuttering had considerably worsened. "Training," he said tersely, cutting the Hyuuga off.

Neither boy missed the panicked look that crossed Hinata's expression. Sasuke felt strangely contented by this.

"Y-you can c-come along, N-Naruto-kun. If you w-want to?"

Sasuke stiffened.

It was beginning to dawn on him that Hinata served him in some capacity. In fact, some might suggest that he **owned** her.

Okay, so maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Since those three years training under Orochimaru, his perspective on such things was a little _off_.

Regardless, he was Hinata's _mission_. What right did she have to be fraternizing with Naruto? _Inviting _Naruto to join them? Suggesting that Naruto _impose _on them with his orangeness and incompetence?

The blonde was blathering on about something- "Actually, Hinata, I wanted to know if I could speak to you about something-?"

"No time," Sasuke interrupted. "We have to train." With that, he grabbed Hinata's wrist and dragged her off, ignoring as she threw Naruto a helpless look in the meantime.

They got to the training grounds within moments. Sasuke chose ground two, which was an empty field outlined by some forestry. Standing across from the Hyuuga, he kicked off his sandals. "Strictly taijutsu," he suggested, and she consented, albeit looking miserable. Maybe she didn't anticipate he would play fair. Smart girl.

She had barely taken her fighting stance when he launched himself at her. Hinata blocked his strike with her forearm, but she stumbled back. In a flash of silver, Sasuke drew his sword. He slashed for her throat, but Hinata bent backwards to dodge.

Her long hair succeeded her and did not clear his blade in time. He would have shortened her hair by several inches had he not halted himself at the last minute. It struck him as ironic that he had aimed for her throat but had left himself unguarded for the sake of her hairstyle. There was just something about...girls with long hair... Hinata sensed her opening.

"_Jyuuken,"_ she said, slamming her palm into his chest.

As Sasuke staggered back some steps, Hinata stared in shock at her hand. Belatedly acknowledging that she had cheated, she allowed the veins on her temples to sink, and shifted her gaze back to the Uchiha. She paled at seeing his sharingan was activated now.

Sasuke held up his own palm. _"Chidori Nagashi," _he growled.

Hinata yelped as a surge of electricity shot through her. She crumpled to the ground, her limbs twitching, but failing to humor her commands.

Sheathing his sword, Sasuke began to walk off, in more pain than he had anticipated he would be in following a spar with Hyuuga Hinata. Just before he had exited the clearing, there was a whistle in the air. He spun, deflecting the senbon that had been aimed for his back. He threw a nod, impressed to see the disheveled-Hyuuga was back on her feet. Then he mused upon her stubborn frown.

In a flash a white, she closed their distance. A barrage of cuffs and kicks, Sasuke had the clear edge.

Idly, Sasuke deliberated on the flaws of her hand-to-hand. Her scents...though subtle...they were discernable from the forest and left traces of her movements. Sasuke sensed primrose...orange blossom... He dodged a slash of her kunai, but it left a faint scratch across his cheek.

And her hair _should have _been cut shorter, or tied back, or...something. Though she kept it long for – aesthetical purposes – it got in her face, and it rustled like her clothes – her clothing was another thing. It seemed baggy, and heavy, and was weighing down her movements. Konoha was warm. What was her purpose behind wearing the over-sized jacket?

Another slash of her weapon caught his shirt, and Sasuke wondered if he was going too easy on her. He kicked her away from him and shrugged off the remains of his shirt. He looked up, and was surprised that Hinata had paused. She stood a few feet away from him in her fighting stance, sweating. He followed her gaze to his chest.

Hinata swallowed. She was astonished by the definition of Sasuke's muscled torso! His long black armguards emphasized the fitness of his biceps and shoulders. Her eyes trailed along his pectorals as they glistened with sweat.

As Sasuke again unsheathed his sword, Hinata body-flickered to the forestry that surrounded the clearing. Hiding behind a tree, she pressed her back against it. She felt hot and jittery all the sudden. What was wrong with her? She lightly shook her head, trying to ward off the madness.

She yelped as Sasuke's sword shot out from behind her, clipping her shoulder. She quickly darted into a branch, but Sasuke was already there. Sasuke grabbed her jacket, and caressed her throat with his sword. Her hand, meanwhile, made contact with his chest.

Some reasoned that using one's bloodline limit was instinctive, like breathing. Maybe that was her reason.

"_Jyuuken!" _said Hinata.

Sasuke was thrust back into the trunk, his sword slipping from his fingers. He dropped to his knees and grasped the branch to keep himself from falling. She watched him gasp for breath as his eyes turned red again. Hinata knew he had excluded ninjutsu from the fight for her sake. She had no doubt he was going to kill her now!

Not waiting for Sasuke to recover, she darted off, back to the sunny clearing, where perhaps there would be witnesses, but there was no one. Just before she could make her escape, Sasuke tackled her from behind. They struggled on the ground.

Sasuke glared down at the Hyuuga, his body crushing hers. Holding her wrists pinned to the grass, he straddled her hips, and held her his captive. He regarded her, intending to threaten her, when something gave him pause.

From afar, Hinata was plain, almost _ill-looking_.

But up close... Hinata up close... She had long lashes, large eyes, hair like ink that was splayed around her. She was beautiful in an unequivocal, almost...distressing sense. There was a faint flush of her cheeks, though Naruto was nowhere in sight. Sasuke failed to notice how his sharingan had deactivated; how he'd neglected to close his mouth.

He would have remembered himself and threatened her, _just as he'd intended_, had something _stupid _not happened at that precise moment.

Some would argue that he grabbed her collar and pulled her up. Others would say that she leaned up, catching him off guard.

They kissed.

And it wasn't soft, and timid, and clumsy, and awkward.

No.

It was _hard, _and passionate, and sexual, and neutral.

Like an unspoken agreement.

Just before the embrace could deepen, white eyes snapped open. Regaining her senses, Hinata squeaked and pushed Sasuke off her. She quickly climbed to her feet.

"I – have to go!" she mentioned, her face bright red. With that, she hurried off.

In her leave, Sasuke also climbed up, spitting some blades of grass out of his mouth in the process. He twitched. Scratched his head. Opened his mouth. Closed his mouth. Pocketed his hands. Alas, he stalked off.

And so ended Sasuke's screwed up, food-based relationship with the Hyuuga heiress.

The next morning Kakashi curiously watched as his grumbling roommate searched the kitchen for food.


	5. Hunger

Sasuke hadn't seen Hinata again since their "training session," and was slightly irritated by it, though he couldn't determine why.

_Because,_ the raven-haired ninja silently seethed. _I don't like this instant crap._ He unearthed a sixth can of "instant chicken" from a kitchen cupboard, and felt the odd need to strangle Kakashi.

Hinata's basket had been left behind, and every once in a while Sasuke found himself peeking inside it, searching for any bit of food he might have some how missed on the fated day his caretaker had disappeared – forever.

Caretaker...okay, now, perhaps, he was going a little far.

...and growing slightly delusional due to hunger...of course...

But the kiss.

Shit, had that been real?

Of course not. Impossible. Simply some sort of hallucination that both had experienced, due to the heat, of course. Pale people weren't meant to frolic about in sunlight anyway.

Why couldn't Hinata understand this?

If _he_ believed that it hadn't been real, and if _she _believed that it hadn't been real, then the kiss would cease to exist.

But then...why could he still feel it on his lips?

Sasuke entered his room and sat down on his bed, lost in thoughts. He glanced at the basket on his bedside table, and suddenly snatched it, feeling the need to look inside.

Still nothing.

Damn piece of woven...straw...crap. He hated it, and needed to dispose of it. Immediately! Just before Sasuke could perform the necessary hand seals to set Hinata's basket on fire, Kakashi passed by with his usual pitying gaze.

The Uchiha's hands dropped.

Kakashi was obviously thinking about the passionate relationship Sasuke and Hinata had shared, how Hinata had left him for Naruto and his sexual prowess, how Sasuke had mourned for days (and days), and continued to mourn, entreating the gods for the return of his _Hinata-hime_- The nonexistent tale went on and on (and on). Sometimes Sasuke heard Kakashi having discussions with the neighbors about it.

Sasuke silently vowed to kill the masked man. He approached his bedroom door and slammed it shut, and suddenly he was lost in his own thoughts again, thoughts he couldn't dispel, thoughts that no amount of meditation would drive away, because they were all of her.

And that stupid kiss that had ruined everything.

Sasuke grimaced. Despite the fact that the kiss had felt relatively...good...like the antecedent to a landslide of pleasures...he had decided Hyuuga Hinata wasn't the right girl to fool around with anyway. The pleasure of the contact had somehow extended beyond...physical. This Hyuuga girl was messing with his head, slowly drawing him into her emotional depths. She was far more sinister than he could have ever imagined.

Even then, he drifted into another haze of remembrance of that strange...poisonous...kiss.

Sasuke lightly shook his head, dispersing these thoughts. His efforts to get laid would surely only lead to his downfall. Sasuke clenched his jaw and decided to relinquish the enterprise altogether.

* * *

The evening streets were littered with people and their lanterns, their music, and their banners. An outsider might have thought a festival was going on in Konoha, but the villagers saw this as any other weekend. The shinobi wars were at rest and their survivors would celebrate until the next.

Sasuke scowled. Konoha's peace sickened him.

He walked silently through the streets that day. Although the sun was lowering, the roads were still as crowded as ever.

As for an escort – Sasuke didn't really need one. Kakashi was away on a mission, and no one else could possibly know that he had left his cage for the moment.

Sasuke barely knew where his feet were carrying him – somewhere that would hopefully distract him from his thoughts, his troubles, and his _hunger_. Training was what he needed. Yes – maybe if he went to Ichiraku he would find Naruto, and the two of them could go off to train together. Sasuke started toward the ramen stand in question, when he noticed Hinata. Both of them paused to stare at one another. Then she quickly bowed her head, her shame practically radiating off her. He wondered if she was thinking about the kiss as well. _Che._

Coward.

She had probably never kissed a boy before. Maybe Naruto was supposed to have been her first.

Sasuke grimaced, looking away. She captured his thoughts every time. In unison, the two continued walking, in route to pass each other. The bustling village swarmed around them, threatening to capture them.

What was...all this? Eating at him? Clenching his heart and threatening to crush it.

Sasuke's scowl deepened. When had she acquired this hold over him?

He began to walk past the Hyuuga. Their shoulders even brushed.

What was different? What had changed? What had happened since Hinata first knocked on his door, her basket in her arms? Why had they kissed?

He needed to know.

Sasuke's hand shot out and caught Hinata's wrist before she had the chance to take another step away. She looked up at him, shocked and anguished. But this time he wouldn't let her get away.

"Let's train together," Sasuke muttered. "Right now."

**Part 2**

Torches lined the street, their shadows dancing against the dimming light of day. Although the sun had nearly set by then, people continued to converse, mothers shopping, fathers drinking, and children playing, feeling as safe as they would in their own homes. Even in the nighttime, the streets grew only more crowded, and in the midst of this all, stood a Hyuuga and an Uchiha, black eyes against white.

Hinata released a gasp as she was jerked roughly, Sasuke dragging her toward the woods, the crowd pulling and tugging at them in protest. Sasuke distractedly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, securing her from the masses, keeping her at his side.

Hinata's barely noticed. She quickly babbled, "The elders, they-"

Sasuke noted the desperation in her voice. She obviously didn't want to be alone with him.

"Th-they're expecting me-"

Sasuke ignored this. Idly he wondered if she had the nerve to scream.

"It's g-getting late!" she pleaded.

To this, Sasuke shrugged. It was true.

"I'm scared of the dark!"

At this, Sasuke paused, wondering how desperate she was to come up with such a ridiculous excuse. _Doesn't she trust me?_ He quickly dismissed this idea. Of course she didn't. He peered down into her face, where he saw stubborn fear.

_Of me?_ Sasuke wondered, looking ahead and continuing toward the wooded training grounds. _Of darkness?_ Night seemed to have fallen early in the area. They were quickly submerged in the darkness of the forest. "Don't worry," Sasuke said, throwing Hinata a cruel smirk. "I'll take care of you." Despite the shade, he could see her growing horror.

He didn't notice as her wrist slipped down from his hold, and their fingers became intertwined. Hinata walked closely behind him, neglecting to activate the byakugan, as she didn't want to see what lurked in the surrounding foliage. She knew her fears were juvenile, but she had held them closely all her life. She couldn't see the look of surprise that crossed Sasuke's face as her hand tightened around his.

Sasuke's.

She felt heat build in her face as she acknowledged that they were holding hands. Sasuke seemed to ignore as she accidentally walked into him.

She couldn't be blamed. With each step they took, the trees seemed to grow thicker, and darkness, more potent. The forest was nightmarish at nighttime, every tree a figure, every branch, someone out to get her.

Sasuke finally stopped at a clearing that was broad enough that the new moonlight could reach it. Heaving a sigh of relief, Hinata released Sasuke's hand, watching him turn to face her.

"Aren't you scared?" Sasuke seemed annoyed.

Hinata felt suddenly embarrassed by her cowardly behavior. What would Naruto-kun think if Sasuke told him her secret? "It's not so dark anymore," she mumbled.

The Uchiha was silent for a moment, before he said, "Aren't you afraid I'm going to rape you?"

Hinata looked up. Even in the moonlight, Sasuke could see that she had paled. "W-what? B-but, you sa-said – y-you sa-said, that-"

Sasuke was stunned. He watched as the Hyuuga became a bumbling mess of nerves. So was it true? Had she been afraid of the darkness alone? "No," said Sasuke inelegantly. "I'm...not serious. Stop stuttering so much."

She simply stared at him, her panicked look left unchanged. Now Hinata really _was_ afraid of him.

But strangely enough, she _didn't _retreat, as if she'd rather take her chances with _him_ than wandering around in the woods by herself. Sasuke's cheek twitched. This Hyuuga girl was clearly out of her mind. He kicked off his sandals. "C'mon," he said.

And so they sparred. Together, in the darkness, for hours.

It was less of a spar, than a lesson, Hinata realized. Rather than strictly fighting her like before, Sasuke seemed to be correcting her every attack.

If she delivered a too-weak kick, Sasuke would grab her leg mid-strike, and tell her how to correct herself to increase the force of the blow. If she threw an off-aim punch, Sasuke would do the same. He was a known prodigy of taijutsu, and strangely willing to share his skills with her.

But even as Hinata felt herself improving, she found that she dreaded how the training session would end.

Would they kiss again? Would she be able to stop herself this time? Why had she participated in the first place? She loved only Naruto!

But then, why was she in the woods sparring with Sasuke in the middle of the night, and thinking about the kiss he had stolen, her very first, eyes closed, lips on lips, the world bright, and white, and everything else forgotten, because-

Hinata dodged another of Sasuke's strikes, but he followed up with a forceful kick that sent her into a tree, her back and head hitting the bark. The wind knocked out of her lungs, she collapsed to the ground, but forced herself up to her knees. She struggled to stand, but her head was swimming, and her body ached. She sat there, on her heels, in a daze.

Sasuke knelt down and reached for her arm, maybe to help her up, or maybe to strike her again. As Hinata shied away from him, his hand made contact with something – _else_.

When Hinata cried out in a very feminine way, Sasuke was rather confused, and wondering what the soft object against his hand could possibly be. As he experimentally squeezed, something _clicked_ in his mind.

But – impossible! _Hinata didn't have_ _breasts._

Suddenly his hand on her chest was enwrapped in her smaller one, then there was chakra, and pain, but he was too stunned to process any of it. When she released him, he watched his fingers twitch in paralysis.

"I guess I'm still too slow," Hinata said.

Sasuke glanced back down at her. Though her face was pink, he noted that she hadn't stuttered once. Her byakugan was activated now, to which he could attribute her chakra-sealing abilities. So she had decided she would ignore the incident. Sasuke supposed he would return the favor, and _pretend _his right hand was working _just fine_. "We should do this again," he mentioned, as he tried not to smirk. He felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

As they walked back to the village, Sasuke decided that as he worked with Hinata, he was beginning to learn more about the byakugan. He continued to stare at his hand and speculate about her technique. _Really,_ he thought, glancing at the figure beside him. _We should do this again._

The trees had begun so thin out, and the moonlight placed a faint glow on Hinata's features. Sasuke absently enjoyed the way her blush persisted.

He sighed when the girl bumped into him for the third time, and reluctantly brought his arm around her shoulders. "Kakashi's away on mission. Will you come over?"

Hinata looked up at him. She had deactivated the byakugan, which just left her looking more vulnerable; more beautiful.

"To make me dinner," he mentioned robotically.

There was no doubt he was hungry.


	6. Deliberation

"How long does this last?" said Sasuke, staring down at the palm of his hand. The two sat on either side of Kakashi's small kitchen table. The apartment was dark, except for the lights on in the kitchen. Sasuke again attempted to move his fingers, but to no avail.

"A few hours, or days," said Hinata, seeming vaguely pleased with herself. "It varies from person to person."

"How did you do it?" he wanted to know.

She reached out and clasped his hand in her smaller ones, her byakugan activating so she could scrutinize his chakra flow. "I blocked your tenketsu point right here." With her pointer finger she touched a spot at the base of his thumb. It briefly burned, then Sasuke felt a rush of warmth run through his fingers. "Better?" she said.

Sasuke stretched his fingers, this time with success. "Yes," he said.

Hinata smiled shyly. Her eyes widened as Sasuke clasped her hand. She quickly broke away. "So w-what do you w-want to eat?" she said, standing and turning away to hide her blush. She approached the fridge and began to blindly rummage around inside.

"It doesn't matter," said Sasuke. He wasn't feeling that hungry anymore.

The innards of Kakashi's refrigerator consisted of a strange assortment of...toppings. There was chocolate syrup, whipped cream, butter sauce, strawberries, pink jelly, purple sprinkles, crushed white chocolate, and so on. Blushing hotly, Hinata quickly shut it. She took a few deep breaths, and instead rummaged in the freezer. To her immense relief, there was-

"Ice cream," said Hinata, breathing. She pulled a tub of it out from Kakashi's freezer, then found some cones – yes, cones! – in a nearby cupboard. Sweating profusely, she wondered if her imagination wasn't getting a little carried away as of late. As she made herself a cone, she noticed that Sasuke was eying her, and her blush returned. "It was a-all Kakashi had in the fridge," she said awkwardly. "D-do you want-?"

"No."

"Oh." Hinata's face fell, but she quickly forgot her dismay and remembered her ice cream. She tasted it in contentment, but paused at noticing that Sasuke was still staring at her. "I s-should l-leave," she stammered badly.

"...Un," said Sasuke, whose mind had wandered.

He had thought back to his and Hinata's training sessions – how each time they sparred, something _wrong_ seemed to happen. How during the first, they had actually kissed, and the second, he had unintentionally _groped _her.

"I'll show you out," he said.

As he watched Hinata lick her cone, he sort of wanted something to go wrong right then.

Hinata lowered it, as though she was guilty of something. "You don't have to!" she said. The apartment was tiny, after all, but Sasuke was already on his feet. Together they walked to the dark living room in silence.

It was the middle of the night. He should have offered to walk her home, but walking her home would be far more intimate than touching, or kissing, or anything they had done thus far. Besides, she wasn't his – girlfriend, or anything like that. He had no desire for her to be. He supposed he just didn't mind when she was around.

Sasuke opened the door. "Your basket," he said, before he thought. Why was he stalling her? He walked off to find the item in question.

"Oh..." said Hinata, lingering by the open door. She should have had the wisdom to leave, but she stalled as well.

Sasuke walked into his bedroom and lifted Hinata's basket from the nightstand. He paused as he regarded it before putting it back down. He wasn't sure what prompted the sudden stubbornness. Maybe he was frustrated that Hinata was leaving. Maybe he wanted her to get it herself. Was he so sexually depraved that he was picking fights now? Hadn't he already established that Hinata _wasn't _the girl to fool around with, that he should have _shirked _her company and not encouraged it.

There was something about her that got to him, infected him, _affected_ him in a way that unnerved him to no end.

There was a knock on his door, and Sasuke turned and opened it. He met her white eyes, and immediately they were kissing. He barely knew how to contrive a kiss, but was suddenly kissing her in the dirtiest of dirty ways. He pushed her into the wall, and slid his hands along her hips, curvaceous hips that had been hidden in her baggy clothes, up her slim, perfect, waist, ignoring as she shivered. The cone dropped – strawberry – his least-favorite flavor. But it didn't taste bad from Hinata's lips.

Hinata's mind was spinning. Was this real? Was she really kissing Sasuke again? Uchiha Sasuke, who she barely knew? Sasuke, who regarded her with so much contempt, Sasuke who fought her with so much hostility? Missing nin Uchiha Sasuke, who had spent half his life headlining the bingo book? Sasuke, who was the best friend of the love of her life. None of it was right. It should have been- "Naruto."

It was weakly stated, but everything came to a halt. Why couldn't Naruto make her feel like this? Why couldn't Naruto kiss her in such a way? Her head swimming and cheeks burning, she and Sasuke separated, breathless, staring at one another.

Seeing the traces of pain in his expression, her eyes filled with tears. _I'm sorry,_ Hinata thought, covering her face with sleeve.

_I'm so sorry_

She hurried off, not even noticing Kakashi, who she pushed past in the door frame.

* * *

Kakashi hadn't made a wise-crack about him and the heiress for the rest of the week, Sasuke noticed.

He glared down at his clenched fists.

It seemed like everyone knew.

Everyone knew about his attempts upon Hinata's lips, her body, her heart-

_Her body,_ Sasuke quickly reminded himself. _Only _her body. Because, Sasuke knew, he had no interest in _that kind of stuff_, stuff that seemed inherent to Hinata's soft nature, her gentle features, her day-dreamy dispositions, and her pathological beauty... He mused though, that it would have been nice to have her for more than a night, then he caught himself.

...dammit.

What was wrong with him?

He should have been relieved. He was rid of her. Sasuke absently glared at the two people standing before him.

"Sasuke, what's with these rumors I'm hearing about you and Hinata-chan?" complained Naruto, squinting queerly and placing his hands on his hips.

Sasuke had spent the day glaring death at the blonde, who seemed aware of the looks, for he had spent his own day tip-toeing around him. But alas, he seemed to have built up some nerve.

"Nothing," muttered Sasuke. It was strikingly true.

Naruto and Sakura had stopped by to "visit" him, or rather, check his closet for dead bodies. Upon seeing the pink-haired kunoichi up-close, Sasuke had to admit he was impressed. Not only did Sakura have the strength to tear Kakashi's front door off its hinges (which she had, being that Sasuke hadn't bothered answering), but had filled out nicely. She wasn't like Hinata, but-

Again Sasuke caught himself. His eye twitched oddly like he was malfunctioning.

Naruto eyed him. "You okay teme?"

...something about tangerines...

"Teme?"

His first attempt on Hinata had been fallacious, the second, accidental, and the third...authentic. Shockingly authentic. For the first time in his life he had gone after a girl, which was something he just...didn't...do. Sasuke lifted his glass, so to look busy as he continued to stare off. He took a gulp. Forced the water down his dry throat.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged a look, before Sakura wandered off, so to give Naruto and Sasuke some time alone together. She muttered something about finding Kakashi's notorious hidden cameras. Naruto took a seat on the other side of the couch, leaning on the arm. "Seriously Sasuke, these stories-"

By then, the Uchiha was getting annoyed. "They're just rumors," he stated. "Remember when everyone thought _we_ were together-"

When Naruto and Sasuke noticed Sakura peeking at them through the slightly-open kitchen door, they stared blankly at her until she awkwardly shuffled away.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Oh yeah..." That brought back a few strange memories.

"Rumors," repeated Sasuke.

Naruto furrowed his brows. "But you and Hinata-chan..." Always with the _chan. _"What _are _you doing together?"

Kissing, training, more kissing...rejection. "She's babysitting me, remember?"

A cheeky grin crossed the blonde's face. "Oh right. So I guess all that stuff about you two _dating _is just made up..." As he said this, he searched Sasuke's face for any hint of reaction, but was rewarded with only another odd twitch. Maybe it was just speculation after all.

"Aa," said Sasuke. Why was Naruto so interested anyway? He went back to glaring at him, his aura filling with killing intent. Naruto noticed, and paled.

"Wow, look at the time," he said, abruptly standing and looking everywhere but into Sasuke's cold eyes. "We should head out – Sakura?" Naruto called.

The pink-haired girl in question poked her head back into the room. "Oh..." She glanced at Sasuke and frowned. "I think I'll stick around for a little while," she said, walking in. She gave Naruto a smile, encouraging him to go without her.

Sasuke didn't care either way. He would, at least, be able to stand Sakura, who seemed to have grown less annoying over the past five years.

"A-alright," said Naruto, seeming uneasy by Sakura's suggestion. He watched the two for a moment, before lightly shaking himself and heading for the door. Was that a glint of jealousy in his eyes?

Sasuke observed. So after all this time, the idiot still had a crush on Sakura. Meanwhile, Hinata was in love with him.

_Greedy fucker..._

"What's wrong Sasuke?" Sakura's words penetrated his thoughts. He turned to notice that the kunoichi had taken the seat beside him.

What was wrong?

A lot of things.

Nothing he was keen to deliberate about any further, because the more he did, the more he realized...

"Sasuke-kun?"

His thoughts continued to be dominated by Hinata, but as he looked into Sakura's worried eyes, he suddenly noticed that she still had feelings for him. She slowly leaned over, meeting his lips with hers. Sasuke's eyelids sunk.

What difference did it make, really? Girl were girls. Sex was sex. They were two consenting adults. Sakura was willing to indulge him in ways Hinata was not. As they lightly kissed, Sakura climbed upon him, straddling his lap and grasping his shirt. What difference did it make which girl relieved his tension?

Sakura wasn't Hinata. That was the difference. He was stunned by this realization. That's when Sakura, too, seemed to find that something was wrong.

"I can't," she said, pulling back. Still clutching his shirt, she stared at him. "Everything's different now."

He hated to admit that she was right.

* * *

"I'm having you take a mission with Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Hyuuga Hinata."

The Hokage had listed the three people in Konoha he wanted to avoid.

"I chose them because they are my most trusted chuu-"

"Wait-" Sasuke interrupted Tsunade. "The Hyuuga?" Hinata, after all, had never even worked with him in the past.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "As I've been led to understand, the two of you work _well_ together." There was a mischievous glint in her eye and quirk to lips. Maybe she had heard the rumors as well. If only she knew it was all but the contrary.

A muscle clenched at the end of Sasuke's jaw. "Why are you sending me off on a mission already? Are you really so trusting?"

Tsunade smiled sweetly. "I want you to get accustomed to Konoha life again, and to fighting on this village's behalf. I'd like to see you move up in the ranks rather than letting your strength, and your _sharingan_ go to waste." He smile widened. "Besides, it's merely a B-class mission, and I trust your teammates to keep you in check."

Sasuke scowled as he heard the door open behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see the three people in question enter the room. Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata stood in line with Sasuke before the Hokage's desk. Sasuke noted that they all avoided his eyes.

"Hokage-sama," said Sakura.

As Naruto obliviously grinned and rolled his shoulders, Sakura was looking attentively at Tsunade. Hinata, meanwhile, was staring at her feet.

Even in her efforts of discretion, her presence was maddening.

"Your mission will be to deliver this package to the Lord of the Fire County. This delivery is of the utmost importance, and is likely to be targeted by thieves and enemy ninja. It should take you half a day to get there, and the same time to return. I expect you back by tomorrow night." She motioned for Sakura to approach before handing her a square brown parcel.

Sasuke sighed. It seemed that the mission would be an easy one.

...Although, it gave him little time to escape. Rejoin Orochimaru. Revive Hebi. Forge new plans to destroy the shinobi world, and acquire vengeance once and for all!

...though these seemed drastic measures to quell the pain of rejection...

Sasuke stared at Tsunade, ignoring her as she continued to prattle on. What did Konoha have to offer him anyway?

The group spent the rest of the day traveling in silence, aside from Naruto and Sakura's light conversation. With the byakugan activated, Hinata walked up front, leading the way toward the residence of Fire Lord Ozai. Behind her followed Naruto and Sakura, side by side. This left Sasuke in the back, walking mutely.

Hinata had thrown a few glances to the pair behind her, but never Sasuke. She, in fact, took strict measures to avoid any contact with him. To her intrigue, he returned the favor.

This tactic didn't work with her thoughts, however. Hinata frowned that evening as she stared up at the tapering ceiling of the tent they all shared.

Naruto had insisted upon sleeping near the tent's exit for easy access to the "bathroom," while Sakura had practically begged to sleep beside the other kunoichi, as if to avoid Sasuke for some reason. This left Sasuke opposite Naruto, farthest from the opening of the tent, and Hinata beside him, a mere foot of space between them.

The Hyuuga shifted uneasily upon her mat, throwing Uchiha yet another glance.

Sasuke slept with his body turned away from everyone else, buried in sheets, and curled up on his side, his messy hair the only indication that he wasn't just a heap of blankets.

It was odd. Hinata had never imagined him to be the type to sleep in such a position. She had simply supposed that Sasuke would sleep over the comforter, flat on his back, with his arms crossed over his chest - like some undead creature from the ghost stories Kiba told over campfire. In fact, sometimes Kiba _implanted _the Uchiha in said stories, just for the sake of convenience.

And in truth, he _could _have been dead at that moment. He was completely still, alarmingly silent. There was no indication that he was even breathing.

Hinata frowned to herself. Sasuke wasn't dead. No, that was ridiculous! She turned away from him again.

She had spent her day not knowing how to act or feel around him. Though she directed her thoughts as far from him as she could, he seeped in like ink, invading her mind, encompassing her heart. She tried to think of Naruto, but his brightness was also shrouded, failing to occupy her for very long.

It was because Sasuke was new. Different. He was an enigma. That was all. It would pass.

Her heart pounded.

Hinata stared at the two heaps that were Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was Sasuke's polar opposite, even in unconsciousness. He took to snoring loudly, and drooling visibly. Hinata quietly giggled at his spread-eagle form, one of his legs draped across Sakura, and the other disappearing through the tent flaps, as though to temp a hungry bear.

Hinata's giggles faded.

Was it really Naruto who she loved? She had fantasized about being with him for years, for so long, in fact, she may have lost perspective of what was real and what was fantasy. Everything about him appealed to her. He represented everything she was not. He was _good for her_, if nothing else.

But Sasuke was...

The boy her thoughts kept drifting back to. He was different. _Her_ enigma. He made her heart race in ways Naruto did not.

He was reckless, and odd, _dangerous_, and a little insane. Yet he carried himself so impassively. Nothing about him made any sense at all! Hinata turned again to gaze at the boy in question. He was sleeping soundly. He couldn't have cared less.

Was it...him?

Closing her eyes, Hinata decided to sleep on these thoughts.

Sasuke wouldn't let her.

He was in her mind, and refused to leave. His face, not Naruto's, occupied every aspect of her thoughts. His voice, and his smirk, his deadpan expression, his onyx eyes – they swam in and out of her focus.

She had to say something. She had to tell him the things she felt, and the fact that it _wasn't_ Naruto. And she had to do it now! And so Hinata sat up. "Sa-Sasuke-kun."

Her quavering voice was just above a whisper, but it was all that her anxiety would permit. Hinata's body trembled and her heart raced, all while she stared at the visible tuft of Sasuke's black hair.

He didn't move.

He was...sleeping.

Hinata recoiled. She ducked onto her mat and buried herself under her blanket, all her courage expended by then. The rest had been used up the two times she had kissed him. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed for sanity to resume and her strange feelings to end.

For five long years she had been unable to tell Naruto her true feelings, and nothing had changed. She and Sasuke would continue to ignore each other. They would both pretend nothing had happened. Soon it wouldn't hurt so much, because it was over.

"Un." The tired voice broke through her thoughts.

Hinata opened her eyes and peeked out from her comforter to see that Sasuke was up, and peering down at her.

"What is it?" he muttered.


	7. Preoccupation

Hinata sat up, but became frozen as she faced him. A few moments of silence reigned as they listened to Sakura's soft breathing, and to Naruto's nasally snores.

"Hyuuga," Sasuke said in a slightly hoarse voice. It sounded so sexual that it caused her to blush.

Sasuke's long bangs hung in his face. The shadows beneath them told Hinata that he had indeed been sleeping, and she wondered how her tiny voice could have possibly roused him. He wore his usual impassive expression, the line of his mouth betraying his ill-humor, but his eyes held hers completely.

Hinata abruptly remembered to speak. "I-"

She found herself incredibly distracted as Sasuke yawned. Failing to notice how her jaw hung slack, Hinata openly stared. Sasuke was completely off guard and he didn't seem to mind. This was a side of him she hadn't anticipated – one she hadn't known to exist! It robbed her of what little composure she had mustered. Only when she noticed how Sasuke was peering at her did Hinata snap out of her stupor.

"I-" Hinata repeated, her gaze quickly darting away. Maybe if she stopped looking at him, she wouldn't freeze up so much.

So it was true. He was – handsome. Almost _too _handsome. _Suspiciously _handsome. Hinata unconsciously wrung her sheets in her hands.

What had she been intending to say anyway? How could she voice the ineffable feelings stirring within her? She herself didn't understand them. She felt her resolve crumbling, but clutched onto the very last bit.

"I...I...I-"

Hinata had managed to say "I" five times in as many minutes. Sasuke was growing impatient. He absently scratched an itch at his side, drawing up his wifebeater in the process. Hinata followed his hand with her gaze, watching as his shirt inched higher...and higher...

Sasuke coughed.

Hinata's eyes snapped up. She turned pink at seeing the odd way Sasuke was looking at her. Then the corner of his mouth twitched in a possible amusement, though after she blinked, it had disappeared, but she was a Hyuuga, and had never doubted her eyes.

"Come closer," he invited.

"I – umm-" For some compulsive reason unknown to her, she did the contrary, and attempted to scramble away from him. She would have crashed against Sakura's sleeping form had Sasuke not caught her wrist, stopping her. He jerked her back with surprising strength, a strength he had yet to learn to apply to normal people and situations, because Hinata was pulled so forcefully she collided with his chest.

She drifted in Sasuke's vague scents of sandalwood. She had instinctively flung her arms around him, and now it was his turn to freeze like a statue. She observed that he had a nice torso, nicer than it seemed in his clothes. She could feel his heart pound, and his muscles brace beneath his shirt. Maybe he shared her anxiety, though he was far better at hiding it.

Her dizzy eyes opened as she felt Sasuke manually detach her. She flushed and looked down, but he took her chin and raised her face. He surveyed her thoughtfully; warily, and indifferently. Now was her chance to say something – anything!

"Can I kiss you?" he said.

* * *

Yawning in unison, two brunettes glanced at each other, before one quickly looked away. The other raised his eyebrow.

Hinata concentrated on Sakura's back, feeling her heart quicken as it pounded beneath her ribs. The previous night had been...it had been...

Odd.

Hinata remembered each detail perfectly as though it had happened only moments before. Of how Sasuke had asked whether he could kiss her, and how she had mumbled, "okay," in consent, feeling her cheeks burn despite the cool air. How he had kissed her but once, lightly biting her bottom lip as he pulled away, and when her eyes fluttered open, she noticed him watching her carefully.

The evening had ended a moment later with Hinata averting her eyes, unable to say a word. Sasuke offered a brief smirk, before muttering something extremely strange.

_I can't wait to take you._

He had breathed the words, as though absentmindedly. With that, he returned to his mat and took retreat in his blankets as though nothing had happened.

For the remainder of the night, Hinata could not sleep very well. Her dreams were littered with crimson eyes and raven hair, and every once in a while she would awake and look at Sasuke to see that he had not moved an inch.

Her cheek twitched.

As Hinata walked that morning alongside him, she began to consider the concept that the kiss had not occurred – that it had all just been a dream. A very strange, perverted dream that that would hopefully never recur. Yes, that was probably it!

Feeling relieved by this rationale, Hinata continued to follow Naruto and Sakura's gaudy forms. The group had already delivered the package to the Fire Lord and were on their way back to Konoha.

Despite her best efforts to prevent it, Hinata's mind drifted back to her strange evening. _Was it really just a dream? _Somehow she had gone from relieved to disheartened in minutes.

She glanced up at the blue sky to observe that the morning had aged to afternoon. She drifted along unaware of her surroundings, or of the fact that she had begun to lag behind the others. It had been a strange dream. An...almost nice...dream.

She glanced at Sasuke's retreating form, again thinking of the kiss, the excitement and pleasure that had encompassed her throughout, how it had been seconds but felt like minutes that they were connected by skin, and warmth, and an unspoken deal, because suddenly kissing each other wasn't wrong, it was okay. No, it was _perfect. _

The kiss, Sasuke's kiss, the pleasure of it drugging her, the warmth of his whisper tickling her throat, her spine trembling even as he withdrew-

_...I can't wait to take you..._

How – wrong! How, just – perverse – for her to dream about such a thing! She blushed to herself, scratching her cheek as she walked. Sasuke was clearly a bad influence, making her think those types of things. Long she had daydreamed of Naruto, but for his innocence, his playfulness – never in a sexual way! No – that was just too weird!

"Hinata."

She blinked and looked up at hearing her name in Sasuke's voice, spoken so deliberately from his careful lips. He had never called her by her given name, but now breeched a realm of familiarity that made her blush because it was so stark and unique and-

Maybe her dream hadn't been a dream at all.

"You're about to walk into a-"

Blackness.

* * *

Her head was pounding when she opened her eyes, wincing against the light. She tried to get up, but the world was spinning. She made it shakily to her feet, half bent over. She began to fall again, when someone caught her arm. She grasped onto the nearest fixture, which just happened to be _him._ She was suddenly leaning on a very familiar chest.

Sasuke's closeness did nothing for Hinata's dizziness.

"I..." she breathed. "What-?"

"You walked into a tree."

Hinata looked up at him in disbelief, but his humorless expression betrayed no mischief, and she didn't see him as the joking type. She therefore came to the conclusion that he was telling the truth. Clearly her powerful doujutsu was no match for trees. "S-sorry," she said, feeling incredibly ashamed. "I-"

"Is that all you can say around me?"

All she could say... He was referencing her dream, as though it was real. No, that couldn't be right. "W-where are Naruto and Sakura?" she asked, revealing that she had several other words in her vocabulary.

"Looking for water," Sasuke responded, and as he said this, she remembered their proximity, because he tentatively touched her waist, as though acquainting himself with the physical contact. For the entirety of Hinata's existence, she had been accustomed to embracing boys and girls alike – her family, her teammates, even friends and classmates. But she was unused to Sasuke, who interpreted it in an entirely different light. He didn't have a vast collection of allowances, just her. She was the girl he touched, and kissed. She squeezed her eyes shut as she realized he was going to do it again.

"Ne, Sakura-chan!"

She had never been so relieved to hear Naruto's voice. Hinata opened her eyes to see that Sasuke had looked up, an annoyed expression across his face.

"I think they're this way!" Naruto squawked from nearby.

Sasuke looked back down at Hinata, sensing her tenseness. "Calm down," he muttered, with no indication that he intended to release her.

As Hinata defied him by doing the exact opposite, she saw a mischievous glint in his eye, one he probably reserved for his prey. As her shade of red increased incrementally, he remained sinister. Maybe this was revenge for that night with the darkness, the paralysis, and the toppings.

Naruto and Sakura were even closer now. She could hear them calling their names.

She was too dizzy to move from her place against Sasuke's chest, his hands securing her waist. "Naruto-kun-" she indicated. She didn't want him to see them. Not yet! Not when even she, herself, didn't know what this was.

Sasuke seemed pleased by her dilemma. "Aa? Naruto?" He lowered his face to her neck and asked, "What about the dobe?"

She hadn't known it until that moment, but her neck was incredibly sensitive, at least to Sasuke's whispers. She almost sunk, but Sasuke supported her more fully. She clutched his shirt and buried herself in it, hiding against him; contradicting herself _completely_. She felt his body stiffen, then shortly after relax. He became apprehensive as well sometimes, but quickly adapted to every thoughtless contact she initiated.

"Oi Sasuke! Hinata-ow!" Naruto's voice was now merely yards away. Sasuke could vaguely see them beyond some foliage.

"Stop yelling!" said Sakura, who was even closer.

Just beyond the brush.

Hinata trembled as she was rushed with panic, adrenaline, and – excitement. But Sasuke must have misinterpreted it as anxiety, because he finally released her.

"There you are!"

She looked up to see that Sakura had entered the clearing, Naruto close behind, a bump on his head. Hinata suddenly realized that although Sasuke had released her, she was still leaning against his chest. Naruto seemed to notice this, eying the pair.

She quickly detached herself from the Uchiha, even though she should have known better, and nearly collapsed in result.

"Hinata," said Sakura, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. She gave the Hyuuga a once-over, before resting a palm against her forehead. "It's not like you to walk into things. Is there anything wrong?"

Everything was wrong!

Hinata mechanically shook her head back and forth, though she was terrible at lying. "I just wasn't w-watching where I was going," she said unconvincingly. When she saw that Sakura was not satisfied with this explanation, she struggled to elaborate. "I've been...p-preoccupied."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Preoccupied? With what?"

"Ju-just..." Hinata tried her best not to look at Sasuke, but from the corner of her eye, he seemed to be watching her with the others. "Things," she finished lamely, glancing at the ground. Her answer only made Sakura more suspicious

A few hours later, the pink-haired kunoichi had given up on trying to understand why Hyuuga Hinata was walking into trees. As they continued on the long path back to Konoha, even Hinata didn't notice how she stayed alongside Sasuke, or how the two of them were walking much further behind the others than before.

She jumped when she was suddenly addressed.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto called, turning around, and managing to walk backwards. Beside him Sakura gave him an odd glance. "Can you scout a mile ahead?" The sun was setting, and the crazed Ozai had warned the group of powerful adversaries that haunted the night. Only Naruto had taken the advice seriously.

"Ah – sure!" Hinata responded. Naruto briefly wondered why Sasuke and Hinata were so far behind, but simply shrugged it off as he turned forward. They were probably engrossed in conversations about him!

_Besides_, Naruto thought, as he glanced at the girl beside him. He didn't mind having alone time with Sakura-chan.

A few yards behind, Hinata lightly shook herself. Before Naruto's interruption, her aching head had begun to droop towards Sasuke's shoulder. She was grateful to have caught herself. She didn't understand what all this was.

Regardless, it was...a secret.

She could tell because Sasuke was mostly impassive towards her again. Not that she treated him any differently...aside from the blush that crossed her features when she thought of their first, uninterrupted kiss.

So yes. It was _their_ secret.

As the heiress prepared to activate the byakugan in order to scout as Naruto had instructed, Sasuke suddenly caught her eye. She gasped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him, wrapping an arm about her waist. "If you need to rest your head..."

So it was official. They were...together – even though it was easier to deny each other, and to pretend that every kiss was just part of another dream. She wasn't ready for this – she was scared!

And yet...all she wanted...all she wanted was...

Sasuke had stopped in his tracks, and as Hinata looked up, she realized why. Their famed medic, Haruno Sakura, had impaled Naruto with her fist.


	8. Bitch Slap

Alas, the mission report. Ino was there, for technicalities.

"Shinranshin no jutsu," she explained. "A mind confusion technique. The shadow imitation technique could never have been so...efficient."

_Efficient, _she called it.

Sasuke agreed.

"And the sharingan couldn't see through this jutsu?" Tsunade said, frowning at Sasuke's disinterested expression. She spoke in a hushed voice, as they were in the hospital.

Sasuke glanced away. His arms and shirt were covered in blood, none of it belonging to him. "The sharingan can see chakra and it can copy techniques. The attacker was acting from a distance away. If Hinata had scouted with the byakugan-"

_Hinata, can you scout a mile ahead?_

"-this might have been avoided."

Naruto's order continued to echo in Hinata's mind. Why had she ignored it? She could have spared her teammates a terrible ordeal.

Naruto and Sakura had attempted to kill each other, and with their monstrous power individually, neither had gone down easily. They had fought until they were broken, then fought some more.

And Sasuke. He had stood back and watched.

There wasn't much that he could do, after all. He was a match for each of his teammates alone, but had he tried to intervene, he would have been killed. Inwardly, he admitted that on some degree he had enjoyed it immensely. He had taken pleasure in the display of violence and power. He had liked watching Naruto and Sakura tear each other to pieces. And in the end, he had enjoyed gathering them up.

Sakura had won, contrary to his predictions. This puzzled Sasuke. If Naruto had given his all...

"I think Naruto may die," said Tsunade.

Sasuke was pulled from his thoughts. As someone who had personally tried to murder Naruto on numerous occasions, he was skeptical of this allegation. Didn't she know that Naruto _didn't _die.

Of the four that stood in the hallway outside of Naruto and Sakura's shared hospital room, Hinata was the most hysterical. She was staring at the ground, tears running down her cheeks, and Sasuke realized, that she too was unaware of Naruto's strange aversion to death – the gaudy zombie, always sprouting up no matter how many times Sasuke stabbed him, no matter the concussions he accumulated on Sakura's behalf, no matter his abundance of zealous enemies who endeavored wars just to give him a scratch.

Hinata slowly looked up from the ground and her thoughts, meeting his eyes, as if to search for the means behind his indifference, searching him in confusion then suspicion, her lips parting-

Ino grabbed his hand. She gave him a comforting smile, but if she really cared, comforting him would have been the last thing on her mind. She didn't share Hinata's anguish, instead manipulating the situation to her advantage, like a true shinobi.

Hinata stiffened, then walked off.

* * *

Sasuke pulled off his shirt then slipped off his bloody armguards. Glancing into the bathroom mirror, he noticed the blood smearing his cheeks and forehead.

He had stopped wearing the Konoha forehead protector years ago. He hadn't readopted it since. There was something lacking in his commitment to Konoha, not that it was of any concern to him. To everyone else, it was. Why did everyone care? Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto...

Sasuke stepped into the shower to wash the blood off his skin. He bowed his head beneath the showerhead, allowing his hair to fall into his eyes. His head was throbbing, throat burning. He remained there for a while, his thoughts drifting between Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata, and how each had affected him so profoundly in only the past few hours.

When he was done, naked and drenched, he again approached the mirror. Lips parted, he observed his reflection, his pale skin and red-rimmed eyes. His canines were slightly distended from too many devil transformations. A few faint scars littered his shoulders and arms, a healing cut across his cheek left from a spar with Hinata. And his hair was getting too long.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Sasuke headed for his bedroom. When he got there, he slipped a kunai out from the holster strew on the dresser, then took to messily cutting away the recent growth of his hair. He returned to the mirror only afterwards, and surveyed his handiwork. Well, it looked no more stupid than it had before, sticking up in the back, hanging down in the front. Now that he was clean, he decided he would visit the hospital. Though he felt as well as he looked. Maybe people would suspect he'd been crying. In truth-

He sneezed.

-It was just a cold.

* * *

Hinata was at the hospital when he got there, sitting in a chair at Naruto's bedside. Sasuke wondered if she had ever managed to bring herself to leave in the first place, but noticed that her clothes were clean, her hair, moist, like his. She was turned away from him, grasping one of Naruto's hands in two of hers.

"Is he alive?" said Sasuke wryly as he approached.

Maybe she didn't notice his mocking tone, because her head snapped up, her eyes filling with indignation. It was only as she looked back at him that Sasuke noticed that she was still crying.

"How c-could you say that?" said Hinata.

Both of Naruto's arms had been dislocated. The left was broken at the elbow, and the right was broken the same way, as well as in three additional locations. His legs were far worse. The greatest injuries included the hole through his abdomen as well as his cracked skull. Sakura's fists, even gloved, had left various marks and bruises all over his body. Her dangerous technique wasn't one to be trifled with.

Sasuke had watched the fight, wondering when he would get the chance to test his power against her strength.

In his tidy white bed, Naruto slept on his back, sheets drawn, his face unnaturally expressionless. His mind was far too submerged for him to feel any pain. His entire body was bandaged, including each of his fingers. The medical nin who had treated him hadn't been able to heal his broken bones as of yet, having barely narrowed the hole through his stomach.

_And even after that blow..._ Sasuke mused. _He held his own._

Sasuke glanced back at Hinata, who seemed to have lost interest in him, her gaze back on Naruto's hand she clasped, as if the brawl had changed everything, and Hinata was beginning to realize where her true priorities belonged. Priorities? Feelings? How did he distinguish them? But what did it matter. She was just – a girl.

He wasn't a love-sick imbecile. He didn't chase girls. And yet he couldn't help inquiring, "What are you doing here, Hinata?" As though he had any authority regarding her whereabouts. What was she doing to him?

For a long while, Hinata didn't respond, and just before Sasuke could stalk off, she mumbled, "Why do you care?"

He didn't understand the purpose behind the question, but it seemed he finally had her full attention. What did she want him to say? It wasn't as though he cared at all. But it was clear that she was asking him something very specific, the answer to which he couldn't articulate. Her eyes were on Naruto but her focus was on him.

Like he was at war with the half-dead zombie nin.

So he countered, "Why – are – you – here, _Hinata?_" He challenged her to admit that she had diverged from the three kisses, and everything that had been expressed in their actions and not words.

He watched her breathing thin, fingers clasping Naruto's bronzed hand more tightly around them. She didn't dare look back at him again. "Naruto-kun..." she mumbled. "He's...ano..."

She tried to communicative the things Sasuke had long suspected.

Done with listening, he turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of the curtained bed on the other side of the room.

Sakura had far more cuts and scratches than Naruto did. They littered her face, creating red patterns that he found vaguely interesting. Sakura's worst injuries included burns, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. The move that had finally brought her down had created a spiral of bruises across her chest.

Her breathing had been stabilized, and she was likely to awake soon. Naruto had definitely gone easy on her. Sasuke still couldn't understand why.

"...he's a comrade..." Hinata finished. "...who I love."

* * *

The next day was warm and sunny.

Uchiha Sasuke was sprawled in his bed with the sheets pulled over his head. He was sick with fever. He heard his bedroom door open, then close, softly, as another person walked into the room. There was the sound of the basket – _her_ basket – being lowered to the dresser.

Today, Hinata's presence was doing nothing for his headache.

He didn't...like...girls. He didn't get attached to things. That wasn't him, it was lesser men than him, incompetent men, like Naruto. Girls were annoying...worthless...evil...maddening... Girls were for sex, that was all. What did it matter who she favored?

"Sasuke-kun," she said weakly, her voice filled with an artificial cheeriness. As though nothing had happened between them, and she was just back to babysitting, "I made you some-"

"Hinata." He heard her halt, and pulled the sheets back, reluctantly sitting up. He crossed his legs as he faced her, but then drew up one of his knees; rubbed his messy head of hair, glancing down, clenching his jaw. "Come here."

Hinata hesitated, but abided this time, releasing the basket, and sitting beside him on the bed. He watched her blush and stare at her knees.

"How did you feel," he muttered, "the times that I kissed you?"

Her blush deepening, she looked up at him from beneath her dark bangs. She opened her mouth then pressed her lips, failing to say a word.

"Do you know what it means?" he asked, idly staring.

It seemed a silly question, but she could not definitively answer it. "I think," she said faintly. Maybe it meant that he felt for her, and she felt for him. He brushed back a lock of her hair, which seemed consistent with her theory.

"You'd prefer if I was Naruto." It wasn't a question.

"No – I-" She didn't know how to respond. She loved Naruto, but he- "He's – n-not you!" How could she make Sasuke understand if she didn't understand herself? She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt them fill with tears. "N-Naruto is h-hurt."

"So?"

She looked back up at him, eyes wet and vision blurry. "How can you say that? Naruto-kun's y-your friend!"

"He can die for all I care."

Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Fucking dobe."

What Hinata did next was something she had never done to anyone before, and yet it was as instinctive as blinking. She slapped him.

Sasuke held his hand to his reddened cheek, looking as surprised as she was. All Hinata could do next was brace for when Sasuke hit her back.


	9. Fever

The slap had been shockingly arousing. Immobilized from the jolt of the contact, Sasuke wiped his face of its stunned expression and gathered enough composure to formulate an ordinary response.

Hinata had slapped him in order to inflict pain, _not _pleasure. He settled on glaring at her, and shoved her so she was thrown to the ground in an undignified heap. He climbed off the bed and stood before her, watching as she scrambled to her feet. As usual, she panicked, and thrust her hands out, "Hakke-!"

He grabbed her by the front of the jacket and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her to bind hers at her sides. They remained like that for a while, Hinata pressed to his chest and frozen in his hold. He watched as her blush built and built, spreading down her throat, to her chest, and beyond, like she was allergic to intimacy, or something equally bizarre. It was amusing...attractive...a combination of the two it would pose difficult to describe? Adorable? Like a kitten? Hinata wasn't a kitten. She was...

...pressed against him, her body firm and soft, and curved in all the right places.

"I win," he said against her ear. She stiffened, and began to struggle to escape, when Sasuke suddenly became heavier. His hold on her eased.

He began to sink, and her, with him, unable to hold him up for more than a few seconds. She wrapped her arms around his torso.

"S-Sasuke?"

His eyelids began to lower, the cloudiness from the edges of his vision encompassing the rest of it. As the world slipped away, it was he who was being held tightly.

* * *

Sakura's eyes snapped open.

She attempted to sit up, only to find the task to be near impossible. Her chest was aching, and her breathing felt shallow. _What happened?_

"You've been out for a few days."

Sakura turned her head slightly. "Sensei," she said hoarsely.

The gray-haired jounin approached, his hands in his pockets, cradling no editions of _Icha Icha _that afternoon_._ "I had a feeling you would be waking up soon."

Sakura closed her eyes against the bright lights over her head. "I'm in...the hospital?"

"Yes."

"What happened?" Her hands shook as she brought them to her chest.

Kakashi stopped her, pulling them apart and down to her sides. "Don't," he warned. "You don't have the strength to heal yourself."

He was right, of course. He always was. Sakura repeated her query, acknowledging the pain in her fists with familiarity. It was a hazard of her power-packed punches, and judging by their soreness, her victim couldn't have survived.

"You were attacked during your last mission." His answer was true, in a sense. Naruto and Sakura had both been attacked, mentally. "Do you remember?"

"Not much," Sakura mumbled. "The others?"

The _others_ were entirely the reason Kakashi was visiting the hospital. While the strange noises Sasuke was making in his bedroom the Hyuuga heir had driven Kakashi away from his home, he had been meaning to check up on his injured pupils anyway.

"They're fine," he said dryly.

"Who's responsible for this?"

"Sakura, you have to relax."

"Is that Naruto!?" her gaze had come in contact with the bed across from hers. The blonde hair and bronze skin was unmistakably Naruto's.

Kakashi hesitated, then sighed. "We need to stop sending the three of you off together. You always end up trying to kill each other."

Sakura stared at him, not fully comprehending. Had Naruto and Sasuke-? She lightly shook her head. There would be a later time to discuss what had gone wrong during the mission. "How is he?"

"He's...declining."

"Decline" was the one thing she had never heard in association with Naruto. It was his nature to ascend in strength, health, and vitality. The thought that Naruto was physically declining was disturbing to her. "Tsunade-sama, hasn't she-?"

"She does what she can, every day," Kakashi interrupted. "Everything that she can for Naruto, as well as every other dying patient in this hospital. You have to understand, Sakura, the Hokage cannot work herself sick. We are on the brink of turmoil now that we're in the wake of the war. The moment Tsunade is weak, we are-"

"Off guard. Yes, I know." The room was spinning, the word "decline" continuing to haunt her. "Take me to him, Kaka-sensei?"

"You can't – you'll exhaust yourself. You might even kill yourself."

"Just take me over to him!"

She didn't know whether it was the determined look in her eyes, or simply his awareness that she would find a way to get over to Naruto with or without his assistance, but Kakashi wrapped an arm behind her and ushered her over to Naruto's bedside. Her body tightened in pain with every movement, her bandages dampening with blood in their slow progression.

When she finally reached him, she instructed Kakashi to release her. Sakura then raised her shaking hands over Naruto's chest, healing him as much as she could. When every last bit of her chakra had been devoted to restoring her friend, Sakura smiled to herself, and allowed the darkness to consume her again.

* * *

She sunk with Sasuke's weight, until she was on the ground, and he was upon her, against her, his face buried in the crook of her neck. His skin was burning up. So was hers, but it had little to do with fever.

"Sasuke?"

He was taller, broader, and heavier than she was. Getting out from beneath him would pose some difficulty.

She gazed thoughtfully upon his head of dark hair, and her thoughts shifted. She suddenly regretted slapping him – and trying to strike him with the gentle fist. She hadn't known he was sick, and had probably exacerbated it just by the stress of her visiting.

The sun was setting, the shadows growing across the room. She wanted to try to get up and find a medical nin, but with Naruto and Sakura as injured as they were, she doubted anyone could be spared for a boy with a fever. She also considered finding Sasuke some medicine, but his skin was so hot, she was scared to leave him alone. The sheer fact that he had lost consciousness was worrisome as it was.

Her father would be expecting her soon, but Hinata dismissed this. She would worry about keeping up appearances after she was sure Sasuke was safe.

It took her some time to rouse Sasuke to a vaguely-awake state and pull him up. He didn't even seem to notice the way they had been positioned as she guided him to the bed. He sat on its edge, with his head bowed and body slumped. Hinata helped him out of his shirt, then got him to lie down, his drowsy eyelids lifting in the process. He stared straight at her.

"Leave."

Hinata bit her mouth. "No," she said stubbornly.

She watched his eyelids lower again as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Hinata pulled off her jacket, dumping it to the floor beside her. Next she pulled off the black tanktop she wore beneath it, then her pants, deciding that she would have to absorb Sasuke's fever. When she was down to just her bra and panties, she climbed into the bed on top of him, pulling the covers over them both.

It was the attire she might have gone to sleep in while sharing a bed with another female, like her sister. At that moment, she forgot that Sasuke was a boy and she was a girl, knowing just that he was sick, and she had to make him better.

* * *

When she awoke, she was still against Sasuke's muscled chest, as it rose and fell with his steady breathing. She sleepily traced his pectorals with her fingers, more childishly than sexually, unaccustomed to her close proximity with the male anatomy. Judging by the dim light outlining the curtains, it must have been early morning.

Hinata could tell from Sasuke's body temperature that his fever had gone down. She slowly raised herself, wondering how he looked as he slept at that moment – whether he seemed dead or alive, right then.

She was surprised to meet half-lidded onyx eyes. It seemed that Sasuke was already awake.

Suddenly aware of her lack of dress, Hinata was rushed with an onslaught of emotion, the greatest of all, embarrassment. Alarmingly enough, Sasuke initiated the conversation. He leaned up to her lips.

The kiss was addictive, like all his others, bewitching to the extent that she kissed him back.

When Sasuke's hand slid up her back to finger the hooks of her bra, she was awoken from her trance. She roughly jerked away from those fingers before they could reach anything else, consequently falling off his bed for the second time in as many days. _Oww..._

Through the bit of the daylight that penetrated the curtains, Sasuke peered down at her, looking slightly annoyed. Hinata did her best to cover herself up. "I have t-to go!" she declared.

"Wait until sunrise," he argued, "Hinata?"

Her name rolled off his tongue with such meticulous care, with the familiarity that made her blush, because it was a profession in itself. She could see why his voice might prompt some girls to walk into trees.

"O-okay," she said.

"Okay," he countered.

They might have been agreeing to stay with each other for long past sunrise, but neither took notice. Instead, they occupied themselves with staring at one another, because it was the most enticing thing that the moment presented.

Hinata was the first to divert her gaze. "But I-I'll stay on the f-floor," she mumbled, missing the flicker of irritation that crossed Sasuke's face.

He dropped to his back and out of her view, knowing there was no use in arguing that they should sleep together.

His sheets were ripped off him.

"And I'm t-taking these," Hinata said, wrapping herself up in his comforter.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke glared at the ceiling. This wasn't what he'd had in mind at all. Closing his eyes, he entertained the concept of smothering himself with a pillow. Hinata was clueless of her affect on him.

On the ground, Hinata curled up and closed her eyes as she mused about how interesting Sasuke looked when he was so disheveled. She would awake shivering, some time later, to find that Sasuke had stolen his sheets back, on the ground beside her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The "absorb his fever" concept is stolen from one of the Fushigi Yuugi stories. I don't think it's legitimate, but who cares?


	10. Boyfriend

Hinata sneezed.

Oddly enough, she had a cold on that bright, sunny morning. Maybe she should have thought better than to kiss someone coming over a fever.

As the two stood before the front door of the apartment, Sasuke yawned. He had shadows under his eyes, and his hair was sticking out in ways – more oddly than usual. He was tired, confirming this by muttering something about going back to bed.

Kakashi either hadn't noticed that Hinata had spent the night, or simply didn't care, for he walked about the house engaged in his usual morning routine. With the tail of a fish protruding from his mouth, he poked his head out of the kitchen and peered at the duo standing in the living room.

Looking down whilst pressing her pointer fingers together, Hinata mumbled something inaudible. When Sasuke asked her to repeat the question, she requested a mask.

The Uchiha, though inwardly smirking, shook his head apologetically as he opened the front door.

With a sigh, Hinata nodded, before doing the only thing she thought to be appropriate. She stood on her toes and kissed Sasuke on the cheek.

When Hinata stepped onto the porch and looked back at him-

Was he...blushing?

Her findings went unconfirmed, for Sasuke quickly slammed the door shut in her face.

Turning around, Sasuke sent Kakashi a death glare, as if daring him to comment.

The older man would have very well chuckled, had he not remembered the fish in his mouth at the last moment. He only managed to produce vile choking sounds.

Sasuke headed back to bed.

He and Hinata were...

They were...

* * *

This was...all right. It would let people know.

In fact, maybe nobody would even notice.

Even as Hinata walked home that morning, in what should have been complete and utter humiliation – she was floating on air.

Her clothes from the previous day had gotten worn and dirty, which meant she was stuck wearing…

She swam in his clothes; they were like pajamas on her. The shorts were far too long and baggy, and the top was just – uncomfortable. The collar was too high for her liking, and the Uchiha fan on her back would surely get her into trouble as the heir of the Hyuuga house. The worst thing about it was the fact that Sasuke seemed to _like _having her wear his clothes. He had kept staring her, mouth twitching every now and then. Maybe he was just sadistic!

Hinata kept her eyes on her toes, but it didn't seem to be working that day.

But even as people gasped, gaped, whispered, pointed, sometimes blushing or giggling at her, whispering things behind their hands, and as Yamanaka Ino burst out of her family's flower shop and gawked at her before dragging her inside, asking why _on Mars_ she was wearing Sasuke's clothes, which she couldn't deny, because there was an Uchiha fan on her back for _crissakes!_ – even as some of her former classmates joined in, and cornered her in the tiny shop, which was growing more and more crowded by the second-

She was in a state of bliss.

She was snapped out of it by her interrogators. Kiba's head was on the verge of exploding. "When-? How-!? WHAT THE HELL!"

"What's going on, Hinata?" said Shino severely.

Shikamaru (who had suffered in his own sexual escapades in a village called Suna) happened to be picking up Ino, as had Chouji, for training that morning. They sighed in unison, seeming all but interested in the matter. Chouji opened a bag of chips.

"What is Sasuke-kun to you?" Ino demanded. She looked almost as frightening as Kiba. "Tell me!"

Hinata was amazed and alarmed by the attention she had drawn. She glanced away, fidgeting. "Ano...he's..." she said, deliberating. "He's a comrade...who I-"

Hinata halted as someone grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the crowd. She stumbled as the person dragged her out of the store and down the road, snaking an arm around her shoulders in the process. Hinata glanced back at the shop to see Shikamaru, Kiba, Ino, and Chouji poking their heads out the door, their faces pale. She slowly looked up at her captor.

Neji.

As her cousin pulled her closer, Hinata walked quickly to keep pace with him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Neji said.

Her breathing thinned. Neji was a human lie-detector and could read her perfectly. "I – w-we-"

"Why are you wearing his clothes? Did you _sleep_ with him?"

When Hinata saw that they weren't going in the direction of the Hyuuga compound, she began to panic. Was Neji walking her to her grave?

"Answer me."

"N-no," she managed. "We d-didn't s-sleep together."

He surveyed her. "You're lying."

So she _was_ lying, in a sense. She _had_ technically slept with Sasuke, she just hadn't had sex with him. Hinata wanted to articulate this, but was too distracted by her impending murder; too caught up between the concepts of explaining, apologizing, and escaping.

"What is he to you?"

They had reached an apartment building, which both relieved and confused Hinata. She had assumed they were headed to the forest, where the earth was soft; pliant for digging. "He's..." She felt warm, more embarrassed about Neji's inquiry than she was about wearing Sasuke's clothes. She knew the question _had_ to be answered at some point, but things had evolved so recently, it was hard to explain it. "He's my-"

They stopped in front of an apartment, Hinata pausing to watch Neji knock on the door. It opened shortly afterwards to reveal a surprised-looking Tenten.

"We need some clothes," said Neji, as Hinata twiddled her thumbs.

* * *

"Special person?" Sasuke asked with disinterest. "Boyfriend?"

Hinata nodded, her cheeks tinted pink. "Un, that's what...that's...ano..." Upon reaching home the previous day, she had mumbled a hasty excuse about having to stay over a sick friend's house. Her father had accepted it, only because he had been busy hunting down Hanabi, who had apparently run away again.

Neji, meanwhile, had let her off surprisingly easy, simply saying he didn't want to catch her hanging around with Sasuke. He had truly saved her life, ironic as it was, because if her father had caught her wearing the Uchiha fan, she didn't know how he would have reacted.

Sasuke and Hinata stood outside of Naruto and Sakura's hospital room. A nurse had informed them that Naruto's condition had stabilized, to Hinata's immense relief. While Hinata gave her thanks to Kami, Sasuke silently blamed a certain fox.

At present, he seemed interested in her proposition. "Does that mean I get...certain...favors?"

Hinata reddened. "Is that all you want?" she blurted out. She couldn't believe she had said it aloud, but it had been bothering her since meeting him. She smoldered under his thoughtful gaze.

With Sasuke's full attention focused on her, Hinata had no choice but to elaborate. "Do you just want me for s-s-"

"Sex?"

"That!" Hard as she tried, she couldn't meet his eyes.

Sasuke merely gave her an once-over, before nodding, and asking what else she could possibly be for.

Hinata felt like crying. She wondered why she had fallen for Sasuke in the first place. He was mean – and stupid – and-

_...Wait...this can't be right..._ Hinata thought, a second later, when Sasuke wrapped his arms around her. He took a breath of her hair, before releasing her, and entering the hospital room as though nothing had happened.

Hinata was left completely baffled. She didn't know why she followed Sasuke into the room. Maybe she was a masochist! She scratched her head in confusion.

"They're still unconscious," Sasuke mentioned, now standing at Naruto's bedside. He was turned away from her.

Wait...was he...

It probably would have done Hinata better to just stand there and ogle him, but something made her ask, "Are you..." She approached him, failing to take any notice of Naruto. "Are you...blushing?"

"Hinata..." Sasuke threatened.

Hinata reached his side, and looked up at his face. Faint as it was, Sasuke had a blush on his cheeks.

She tried to stifle her giggles – she truly did. It seemed that Sasuke was just as shy as she was.

She blinked when his hand covered her mouth.

"Stop," he seethed.

Hinata nodded, but when her lips were released, she couldn't help but smile again. As Sasuke shifted his attention to Naruto, she continued to allow herself to be engrossed in his oddness. Holding her breath, she grabbed one of his hands.

He stiffened at the contact.

"You lied," Hinata mumbled. "What you said – you want more than that."

When Sasuke pulled his hand away, he reinforced all her insecurities about him. Maybe he really did just want her in hopes for sex. Maybe she was stupid to ever think otherwise.

Hinata started to bring her hand to her eyes, frustrated that they had begun to water. She froze as Sasuke caught it, then closed the space between their bodies.

"What ever you say, Hinata."

Her eyelids sank as he lifted her chin and kissed her. She didn't know why she didn't run away from him. But if she wanted to be with Sasuke, maybe she would have to deal with everything he couldn't say, everything that made no sense about him, all of his inconvenient quirks – the fact that he was sort of mean sometimes, and irrational, and how he was-

She gasped.

-perverted.

Sasuke's kisses had trailed to her neck, and were steadily reaching her collar.

His hands, meanwhile, were being far worse, for they had found their way underneath of her jacket, and then her top. From her hips, they slowly slid further and further up her bare abdomen.

"Very nice," he mentioned huskily.

"Sa-Sasu-" Hinata whimpered, blushing. She released an unintentional moan. "No – don't-"

"Come now, I know what you're hiding_._" Her color deepened. Just before his fingers could breeze her breasts, Sasuke's hands withdrew. He pulled his lips away from her shoulder, instead kissing the top of her head. _Who's blushing __**now**__? _he wondered, as Hinata hid her face in his shirt.

Sasuke didn't mind. "Sorry," he mentioned, without a hint of sincerity. "It was an accident."


	11. Dirty Noises

Naruto's nose twitched as a microscopic piece of dust entered his nostril. He held his breath before he could sneeze, because just the act of breathing was causing him considerable pain. After a moment, he sniffed the air.

It smelled like...the hospital.

Naruto opened his eyes and his suspicions were confirmed. _W__hat happened?_

He would have suspected he had gotten into a fight with Sasuke, had all of his limbs not been in casts. This was clearly Sakura's handiwork. _W__hat did I do this time? _Naruto wondered. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor outside. He frowned when he heard them stop behind his room's door. He didn't have the energy to talk to anyone, so instead opted to close his eyes. He didn't even want to think about throwing grins and proclamations.

For the first time in his life, he was exhausted.

As Naruto pretended to be asleep, he tried to legitimately drift off, but he was suddenly aware of the presence of more than one person outside his door. He could hear the sounds of the voices, but could make out nothing that was being said.

_Sasuke?_ Naruto almost smiled, for one of the voices was that of his friend's.

The second, though, was far quieter, making Naruto wonder who Sasuke had brought with him. _Kakashi?_ _Or maybe Sakura, to finish me off,_ Naruto thought bitterly.

And what were they talking about that was taking so long? Naruto was already growing impatient, for the voices were impeding his ability to fall back asleep.

After another minute or two, Naruto heard but one pair of feet enter the room. He almost opened his eyes, curious of what had happened to the second person.

He heard him, or her, soon enough, following the first person's footsteps. Naruto held his breath as he listened to both people approach his bed.

"They're still unconscious."

It was established; that was definitely Sasuke. The Uchiha's usage of the word "they're" confused Naruto. He hadn't taken account of the person in the bed across from his.

"Are you..." a short pause. "Are you...blushing?"

Naruto's eyes nearly popped open. It took all his resolve to keep them closed. _Sasuke's blushing?_ he wondered, a sight unimaginable to him. His thoughts then turned to the second voice. _Hinata-chan?_ He was sure that the female with Sasuke was Hinata. It took him a moment, because he was used to her constantly stuttering.

_Why is Sasuke blushing?_ he wanted to know. _And when did Hinata get so bold?_

Something told Naruto to keep his eyes closed if he wanted _in _on what they were discussing. He didn't know how their black and white iris' didn't catch all his twitching. _Seeing things_ was both their specialties, after all, and Sasuke and Hinata should have caught on to all of the signs that he was conscious. The two were clearly distracted.

"Hinata," Sasuke warned.

Naruto heard Hinata take a step closer – before she started to giggle. It was a beautiful, feminine giggle, but it made Naruto wonder whether she was suicidal.

The laughter was muffled. Naruto presumed she had covered her mouth.

"Stop." Again, Sasuke.

Naruto heard Hinata speak again: "You lied. What you said...you want more than that."

_What is she talking about?_ Naruto wondered.

A few more moments passed in complete silence. Just when Naruto was sure the pair had tip-toed out of the room-

"What ever you say, Hinata."

The unmistakable sounds of – _kissing._

A gasp.

More kissing.

Naruto blushed, attempting to melt into his mattress, and suddenly regretting that he had been interested in the first place. _They - should - not - be - here - they - should - not - be - here..._

"Very nice," it was Sasuke again, his voice softer now.

"Sa-Sas-" Hinata practically whimpered. She moaned. "No – don't-"

_So that's where her stutter went, _Naruto thought, blushing and twitching.

"Come now, _I know what you're hiding._"

_Hiding?_

Finally, when their make out session seemed to have ended, Naruto heard Sasuke mutter, "Sorry."

_...you've gotta be kidding me..._ thought Naruto.

"It was an...accident."

_ACCIDENT!?_

Moments later, when Sasuke and Hinata had gone, Naruto rested his wide, shocked, gaze on the ceiling. _Sasuke and Hinata-chan...Sasuke and Hinata-chan...Sasuke and Hinata-chan...innocent little Hinata-chan..._

Naruto was, without a doubt, scarred for life.

* * *

Sasuke didn't mind that Hinata was becoming more accustomed to kissing him. She tentatively wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his embrace.

"Training?"

Sasuke and Hinata looked up to notice Kakashi standing in the doorway, eying them both like the despicable teenagers they were. They pulled away from each other, Hinata looking embarrassed, and Sasuke, aloof.

Right. Training.

Sasuke pushed past Kakashi as he walked out, Hinata following. She gave Kakashi an apologetic bow on her way out of the apartment.

"Let's spar," Sasuke mentioned when Hinata's steps had come to match his.

Within moments, she was at the training grounds desperately dodging Sasuke's attacks. She grunted in pain as the metal sheath of his sword clipped her shoulder.

Sasuke grimaced. Hinata was having difficulty dodging, though he felt he was being generous in the pace of his attacks. The Hyuuga was clearly distracted. "Tired?" he asked nonchalantly. It sounded so out of place on his tongue, he noticed he'd made his sparring partner stare.

"No," she said, before grunting as one of Sasuke's kicks connected with her abdomen. She crashed to the ground a few yards away, before sitting up with some difficulty, leaning on her hands and drawing her knees. She found herself in the muddy outskirts of training ground five, her body covered in the icky substance.

She pulled off her sandals. Sasuke had long discarded his armguards. Hinata's skin burned even the times he caught her wrist to block one of her attacks. She didn't know why he had such an affect on her. He was just...so...

She wondered if he liked _her_ hands; enjoyed when they made contact with _him_.

Hinata hoped the mud on her cheeks hid her blush as she brushed these thoughts aside. When Sasuke closed their distance with another assault, she squeezed her eyes shut, neglecting to dodge or block. She slowly opened them again when Sasuke's blow never connected. Instead, he was peering at her.

"Hinata," he said.

She hated when he said her name – it did strange things to her. She felt flustered all the sudden, and began to fidget madly.

"You're distracted," Sasuke groused, causing her to cringe, because she knew it was true. "What is it?" he asked, kneeling down to her level. When he found it extremely difficult to keep his eyes level with hers, he took a deep breath, suddenly regretting that he had brought the spar to the banks of mud. He couldn't help noticing how Hinata's clothes had come to be plastered to her body.

So maybe he was distracted too.

Hinata pressed her pointer fingers as she tried to formulate an excuse, but Sasuke rose.

"Never mind," he said, suddenly stalking off in the opposite direction.

Hinata blinked, confused by his departure. Climbing back to her feet (though slipping a few times), she followed Sasuke, watching his back as he walked. Why was he suddenly so _stiff_? She followed him deeper into the training grounds until she realized where they were headed.

The lake wasn't far off. In fact, it was one of the training fields in itself.

It wasn't a natural lake, and had been created for the purposes of practicing gennin to better their chakra control. It was mostly shielded from view by all the brush that surrounded it. A few large trees had settled their roots beneath of the water. Dragonflies buzzed around lotus flowers and water lilies.

Sasuke found all of the nature to be disgusting. He turned to the girl behind him, then glanced down at his own muddy arms and legs.

Hinata absently stared at the lake. She was accustomed to jumping into it after hours of training alone, but never accompanied by anyone else. She absently folded her arms over her jacket, feeling her blush creep up to her cheeks. She was jerked back into reality when Sasuke grabbed her shoulder.

"Just wash off the mud so people don't think I attacked you."

Her face burning, she looked away in nervousness.

To her horror, Sasuke's fingers reached for the zipper of her jacket.

"And get rid of this. Why are you so fucking shy?"

There was the sound of a zip, a squeal, a slap, a gasp, a rip, and a splash.

A few moments later, a soaking wet Hyuuga Hinata stalked away from the training grounds alone. Clutching her ripped jacket around herself, she deactivated the byakugan and squeezed out her wet hair while wondering whether Sasuke knew how to swim.


	12. Mud Smears

**Author's Note:** So, I'm thinking that **zip **was when Sasuke zipped down Hinata's jacket, **slap **was obviously when she slapped the shit out of him, **gasp **was Sasuke's pain, surprise, and heartbroken anguish, **rip **was when he unintentionally ripped her jacket due to the momentum of her slap throwing him into the lake, and **splash **was him connecting with the water. Or...you could just use your imagination. I did. xP

* * *

"I hear she was fighting off an attacker down by the training grounds. She passed here a little while ago. She was wet, her clothes were ripped, and she looked like hell."

"Yeah, I saw her too. I think she was going back to the Hyuuga compound. Some are saying it was _T__he Uchiha. _I think he was trying to _have his way with her_."

Since returning to Konoha, he had become _The Uchiha. _A creature so nefarious He-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned by his given name.

Sasuke ignored the whispers as he walked down the street, his hair in his eyes, and his clothes clinging to his skin. He clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to set fire to the gossiping women. What did they know about his advances on Hinata?

Sasuke's abdominals ached, his stomach heaving every now and again in result to whatever the Hyuuga had done to his insides. He had considered going to the hospital, and the less desirable idea of giving in to his urge to vomit, but eventually settled on neither. Instead, he would find Hinata. He had to...to...

_What?_ Sasuke wondered, as he climbed through her bedroom window, covering its ledge in muddy footprints. The footprints spread to the impeccable white carpet as Sasuke glanced around for the cruel kunoichi.

But she wasn't there. Maybe she was cleaning herself up or something. He glanced around.

Hinata's bedroom was fairly plain. She used only a few things to decorate it, such as a vase of purple flowers, a white teddy bear, and a photo on her bureau of her smiling between Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai. It was all uncomfortably feminine.

As Sasuke lurked alone in Hinata's empty bedroom, he did what any other boyfriend (or X-boyfriend, or whatever he was at the moment) would.

He went through her things.

In the bureau Sasuke found a few more big tan jackets (which made him twitch), multiple orange panties (which made him twitch even more for some reason), and a few other...girl...things.

A small gasp cut through his thoughts. He looked up to see that Hinata had entered the room. She was clothed in only a fluffy white towel that reached mid thigh, her crème colored skin glistening with droplets of water. Hinata clutched the towel tightly to herself where it didn't sufficiently cover her cleavage. Her knees quavered, as if threatening to give out.

Sasuke couldn't help but to stare.

Hinata's gaze was fixed on his for a moment, before it shifted to the ground, a deep blush covering her cheeks.

Sasuke stopped himself from moving forward. All he wanted to do at that moment was touch her, experimentally, to see if her shaking would worsen or stop. He absorbed every bit of her body in that towel, wondering what lay beneath it, _needing _at that moment to know. He failed to notice his sharingan had activated until everything turned into colors and shapes.

Sasuke glanced away, squeezing his eyes shut, and opening them, black. "Sorry," he said, surprising even himself. He silently suspected he was turning into Kakashi.

Hinata lifted her eyes as Sasuke mechanically marched himself toward the window, when suddenly she blurted out, "So am I!"

Sasuke paused and glanced back to her.

"I'm sorry," said Hinata. "I was distracted during training because, I was thinking about you...and also, about Naruto-kun."

Sasuke turned to face her, his face remaining indifferent.

"I didn't even realize when you were s-sick," Hinata continued. "Because all I could think about w-was-"

"How do you feel about him?" said Sasuke, approaching.

As Sasuke's distance from her decreased, her anxiety did the opposite. "You know how I feel," she whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Tell me again." He was right in front of her now. Hinata allowed him to take her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. _Why is she shaking so much? _Sasuke wondered. His hand traveled up her back in an effort to quell it, but this only seemed to worsen the matter. _Because she's this beautiful?_

The heiress stared helplessly up at him. "I-I don't-"

Sasuke's gaze again drifted to her skin, down her slender throat, along her collar bone, to her perfect shoulder. He hadn't noticed her stutter had diminished until it came back in full force.

"I d-don't love N-Naruto-kun, as m-much as I-" she took another deep breath of air, her face pink. "As much as I love-"

Sasuke felt heat rise to his own face. "Shut up," he muttered, covering Hinata's lips with his own.

He didn't known why he'd cut her off, he just didn't think he was ready for what she intended to say. As their kiss deepened, and the two stumbled across the room, Sasuke wondered how he would have responded.

"Sasu…ke," Hinata mumbled, as Sasuke's kisses went from her lips to under her ear. He glanced at her, enjoying her blush. Her innocence should have repelled him but it only made him want her more.

When they hit the bed, both knew that their conversation had gone in the wrong direction, though neither did much to stop it, instinct suppressing logic. All Sasuke wanted to do was get Hinata out of her towel, but he made the mistake of meeting her eyes. And the world froze.

"We can't," she told him.

He kissed her regardless. "Why not?" He felt her skin burn as he traced her throat; her collar. "Naruto?" he said, still kissing, greedily kissing her.

Hinata was overwhelmed by his affections. "No, I-" she struggled. "I-I just-"

"You're scared?" he presumed.

"Scared" didn't sum up the mountain of reasons to forgo the enterprise, but Hinata keenly nodded. Right. Scared of how wonderful he felt atop of her, and his lips, on her lips, his fingers running rampant and-

Her eyes widened and she caught his hand before it could slide up her thigh.

Her towel had begun to pull apart on the bed, revealing a strip of skin from her leg to her breast. Sasuke had left her body with muddy marks, evidence of all the places he had gotten away with touching her! In fact, as he regarded her, he felt satisfied with his progress. He idly brushed his thumb along her cheek, leaving it with a new mud smear.

"You need a shower," he mentioned dryly, causing Hinata to finally smile.

* * *

"He's only using you for sex," snapped Kiba, Akamaru barking in agreement beside him.

"But we're not – w-we never-"

"Well, he'll dump you as soon as you give it to him."

Hinata sniffed. _How could Kiba-kun say such cruel things?_

"Hinata – he's _evil. _Why don't you get it?"

She stammered, "B-but he's – he's n-not that bad, he's even kind of…n-nice, sometimes.

Kiba guffawed. "He must have you brainwashed or something."

The three members of team eight were walking together to the training grounds. Hinata desperately covered her ears with her hands, but nothing would block out Kiba's chortles!

"If Hinata likes him, maybe we should let it be," suggested Shino. Hinata looked up at him in surprise.

"Whose side are you on anyway!?" snarled Kiba, splattering Shino with bits of saliva. "Hinata should be with a nice guy like – like Lee over there," he said, at hearing Lee releasing one of his trademark "Ohwahhhhh!"s. The three approached the wooded grounds from which they had heard Lee, only to spot him having a feisty make-out session with Tenten. The two teens collapsed in some nearby bushes as Tenten struggled with his spandex bodysuit. Team eight blushed, and kept walking.

_I thought she was dating niisan… _Hinata thought in confusion.

"Sure, the Uchiha has good looks, but so does – Chouji. You know Chouji, don't you? I'll introduce you," Kiba went on.

As far as Hinata could tell, Kiba was just listing random boys in their age group. "But I l-like Sasuke."

"Why?"

She twiddled her thumbs and thought for a moment, though she couldn't come up with a definitive answer. If asked to describe Sasuke in one word, she felt the only answer she could come up with was "weird." What was it about him that she found so appealing?

Kiba scowled as the silence persisted, so she blurted out, "He's very handsome." She scratched her cheek, embarrassed for producing such a vain response.

"We'll stop by Chouji's house after training," said Kiba flatly.

* * *

Their footsteps. Sasuke and Hinata were back.

Naruto could tell this based on the fact that the footsteps had come in a pair. Kakashi always made his visits alone, as did Tsunade.

When the door opened and the feet approached, Naruto relaxed his body, hoping to be ignored.

"I know you're awake, dobe."

Naruto cringed. Sasuke wasn't nearly as distracted as he had been during his last visit. Naruto opened his eyes and forced a smile, trying to hide his embarrassment, and to feign weariness, so maybe they would go away. He began to close his eyes and pretend to fall back asleep, when Sasuke poked him in the nose. He glared.

"I'm glad," said Sasuke, with the utmost apathy. It was probably the only thing he _would _say on the matter of Naruto's survival. Naruto couldn't help but to smile genuinely. "Thanks," he said.

Hinata stood a few feet away. She gave Naruto a sweet smile of her own, in a way she never did, that made him absently stare. Normally she was too busy stuttering around him to formulate feminine giggles or beautiful smiles, or any of the other things he had seen her do around Sasuke. At present, there was no physical contact between her and Sasuke, no eye contact either, in fact, they were so divided at that moment, Naruto almost suspected their previous encounter had been a dream.

But there was a blatant piece of evidence that had accompanied them to the hospital that day. The fact that they were mutually present. In fact, they were _always _together. Of course, this corresponded with the terms of Sasuke's punishment, but the Uchiha could have gotten rid of her weeks ago if he had wanted to.

Naruto adjusted himself, so he was propped up on his pillows. He watched Hinata's eyes widen in surprise of his quick recovery.

"I know, I'm a medical miracle. What do you think, Hinata-ch-" Naruto stopped himself.

Both Sasuke and Hinata blinked at his hesitation.

_Great, now they're getting suspicious, _Naruto thought nervously.

"I'm surprised that you woke up before Sakura," Sasuke remarked. "How do you feel?"

"Fine – great!" Naruto winced, and rubbed a bruise on his side.

"I, ano...I baked you a cake..." said Hinata, twiddling her thumbs as Naruto's eyes lit up. Maybe being stuck in the hospital wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. "But the nurse said you couldn't eat it. So I gave it to Kiba-kun."

Naruto's face fell. He glanced Sasuke, who smirked. "That's right, Sasuke doesn't like sweets, does he," said Naruto sarcastically, causing Hinata to blink again, and Sasuke's expression to fall. Naruto realized his error and quickly tried to recover, "Nor does Shino, I don't think, ne? Hinata-ch-?" Again he cut himself short of saying "chan," and snapped his mouth shut.

Now Sasuke and Hinata were staring at him.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Naruto refrained from hitting himself. Now that he knew Sasuke and Hinata were together, he was no longer comfortable with calling her such a cutesy nickname, as it could be seen as flirtatious, or even disrespectful. But following Hinata's name with a "chan" was as instinctive to him as following Sasuke's with "teme." It would take some time to get used to _not _saying it.

To worsen matters, changing the way he addressed Hinata was probably suspicious in itself.

Knowing he was in a lose-lose situation, Naruto pulled his covers up to his nose. Hinata, though, had come to her own conclusions, and looked away from him.

"I understand if you're angry with me Naruto-kun. It's my f-fault you were almost killed."

Naruto saw her eyes shine in the threat of tears. As Hinata turned to leave, he opened his mouth to protest, but fell speechless.

Sasuke caught her arm.

She stiffened and tried to pull away, but as her tears spilled, she threw herself into his chest, as if to hide them.

Sasuke was caught off guard by this action. Naruto could only stare as Sasuke's expression flickered from surprise, to unease, and finally satisfaction. He wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace.

He lowered his lips to her hair. "We all made mistakes on that mission," he told her. His gaze flickered upwards, catching Naruto's stare. "Isn't that right, dobe?"

Naruto snapped out of his stupor. "Of course!" he stammered, then winced, blushed, and glanced away.

Hinata jumped at hearing his voice, only then remembering her whereabouts. The top of her head hit Sasuke's chin before she stumbled away from him, blushing much the way Naruto was.

Sasuke merely sighed as he rubbed his abused jaw. "So you knew?" he asked Naruto.

The blonde snorted. "How could I not?"

Hinata had taken to looking anywhere but either of the boys. Naruto couldn't help but smile as his gaze drifted back to her. He was starting to understand why Sasuke liked her so much. "Can I still call you Hinata-chan?" he asked. The name seemed to suit her well.

He expected her to weakly nod in consent, the way she normally did, but to his surprise, she shook her head. Even with her face flushed, and nose pink, she said, "J-Just call me Hinata."

It was the most declarative statement he had ever heard her make. It seemed to surprise even Sasuke, who glanced at her, but Hinata continued to avoid his eyes.

Beneath her insecurities, she was a girl, and she had just made it evident that she was _his._

Naruto bit his mouth, suddenly regretting that Sasuke had spotted her first.


	13. I Think I

She opened her eyes and stared up at the stark white ceiling. _So I'm alive,_ Sakura mused.

"You're awake."

Turning her head to spot Naruto on the bed beside hers, Sakura weakly smiled. "So are you," she said softly, feeling a little drugged. "Do you know what happened to us?"

"No." Naruto frowned. "The nurses say it's a miracle we're both alive."

Based on the way she felt, Sakura didn't doubt it. She took note that her throat was clear, and her lungs felt almost healed. In a few days she would have the strength to heal herself completely. She noticed Naruto, meanwhile, looked perfectly healthy. "How are you?" she asked.

"Fine," Naruto responded.

"Fox boy," Sakura joked, causing him to pout.

"I'm a little of cold," he admitted.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she slowly climbed up to a sitting position.

Naruto's eyes widened at this. "What are you doing? You can't get up!" he claimed in that somewhat husky, somewhat girlish voice of his.

Sakura loved it. "Who says?" she countered, carefully moving her legs over the edge of her bed to place her bare feet onto the cold tiled floor. She clutched her hospital gown around her and nearly fell forward as she stepped off the bed. Naruto stiffened and began to get up, but Sakura put her hand out, stopping him. "No – don't. I need to build my strength." She tested her balance, and staggered forward, her muscles weak from days of being in bed.

When Sakura finally made it over to him, she fell into his arms. He grinned, and pulled her up onto his bed with him, moving over to make room.

"You said you were cold," Sakura laughed, wrapping her arms around his torso.

Naruto smiled to himself as he held her back, enjoying the way her hair tickled his nose.

"I'm glad you're all right," Sakura whispered.

Naruto wondered why she sounded so sad all the sudden.

"You're my best friend," she told him, closing her eyes.

"You're mine," Naruto countered, but then glanced away.

_Best friend._

He absently mused about Hinata as he held Sakura in his arms.

* * *

Flying backwards in the air, Hinata managed to place her legs beneath her before she could fall. Channeling her chakra into her feet, she landed on the surface of the water, skidding backwards several yards but keeping her balance.

Her back connected with something hard.

Still catching her breath, Hinata glanced over her shoulder to see that it was Sasuke's chest that she had collided with. He was fast.

Before she could react, Sasuke joined his fists and brought them down on her. Her effort to dodge caused the blow to strike her between the shoulder blades. She was sent into the water beneath them, her body plunging towards the bottom of the lake.

Sasuke peered down into the water, crimson eyes darting about, and keeping track of her location. He smirked slightly at recalling that he had promised _not _to get her wet. Almost absently, he formed a few hand seals.

At the bottom of the lake, Hinata twisted in disorientation. Surrounded by a vortex of bubbles, she had quickly lost her sense of direction, and couldn't tell whether she was facing up or down. Her attempts to swim resulted in sharp pains that radiated down her spine. She unintentionally took in a gulp of water, then choked, and took in several more.

Almost as soon as she began to fear she would drown, a current of water circled her, causing her hair to float up above her. Hinata felt herself being pulled upward by the current, and allowed her body to relax. _Water jutsu?_ she thought, amazed, because she knew Sasuke was not a water element. Was there anything the Uchiha couldn't do? She wrinkled her nose in jealousy as she reached the water's surface, but nearly collapsed beneath it again, when two strong arms grabbed hold of her.

He lifted her up and knelt down with her. "What is it?" he said, curious of her shortcomings when she should have had the advantage at the lake.

Hinata spent the next several moments coughing as Sasuke scrutinized her with the sharingan. When she had enough energy to speak, she managed, "My back."

Sasuke thought for a moment. He must have struck her spine with his last attack, which explained why she was having so much difficulty moving her limbs.

"I can take you to Tsunade-"

"It's fine."

"How could you know?"

"I can see."

It was only then at he noticed she had activated the byakugan. She coughed again. "Just – some swelling." She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, as though content in that position, soaking wet and gathered in his arms.

Sasuke straightened from kneeling. "Can you move?"

"…don't want to."

He didn't know whether she said this in pain, or if she was just enjoying herself. He stared down at her, not understanding the unease that stirred in his chest. Maybe this was just her method of revenge for all the uncomfortable positions he had placed _her_ in.

Sasuke glanced up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and they weren't likely to reach the village before evening. He began to carry Hinata out of the lake, her soaked clothing getting him wet. He enjoyed the way her clothes plastered her skin, thus emphasizing her shapely physique. "Why aren't you embarrassed?" he questioned. His lip twitched as she sniffed.

"Don't take me home," Hinata murmured, her face buried under his chin.

He began to walk through the forest with her. "I can take you through your window-"

Hinata gripped his shirt. "No," she protested.

"Let your elders take care of you. Or your cousin-"

"I want to stay with you."

It was mumbled so quietly, he nearly had not heard it. And yet he had. Wished he hadn't. She was going to get both of them in trouble.

"Stay with me?" he blankly repeated, and the two of them spoke no further as he carried her back to Kakashi's apartment.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke knew very little about love, and Sakura had taught him the little he _did _know. What else could it be that made her search the world for him, just to bring him back? What else could make her cry for him, live for him, and hope to die for him?

Maybe it was real – and the concept irritated him to no end!

But when black eyes met white, his anger vanished.

Hinata had lifted her face from his chest. He was seated on his bed, with his back to a wall, and Hinata still gathered in his arms. She had failed to detach from him in the several minutes since they had arrived to Kakashi's apartment, and was only just beginning to come to.

She shivered, pressing closer, and it was as aggravating as it was arousing. Maybe she _was _trying to torture him. "Better?" said Sasuke through grit teeth.

Maybe she hadn't been as awake as he had thought, because she suddenly stiffened, and began to pull away. He held onto her shoulders, just in case. "Better?" he patiently reiterated.

Hinata blushed and nodded, and Sasuke finally released her. He glanced away and tried to rationalize the blatant concern he had shown for her. No matter how he tried to twist it, he could not devise any selfish ulterior motives.

His eyes widened when Hinata suddenly dropped sideways to his bed, unmoving.

"Hinata?"

"Un?"

His cheek twitched. "Take off your clothes."

He expected a bout of anxiety, but she just responded, sleepily, "Ano…I will…" She hugged his pillow, burying her face in it.

She was going to get sick. Sasuke eyed her for a moment, before sighing, and dropping beside her, in that too-small bed that could barely accommodate the two of them together. He felt weary and confused by all his new feelings. Where he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, Hinata was curled on her side facing away from him, her back against his shoulder.

Her moist hair tickled his throat. "Sasuke?" she said.

"Aa?"

"There's something I wanted to tell you." Her voice was muffled in his pillow.

Her absence of a stutter made him suspect everything she had said that afternoon was sleep-talk. As his eyelids lowered, he felt himself being submerged in it as well.

"Tell me," he dared her.

She reddened. "I love you."

She waited, but all Sasuke answered with was silence. She lifted her face from the pillow, but was unwilling to look back at him. "I – I love you," she repeated, her composure devastated. She bit her mouth, and buried her face back in the pillow, where she spent the next several minutes trying to suffocate herself. She felt her eyes sting with tears, and worried that she had just made the biggest mistake.

She blinked when she felt Sasuke turn on the bed, so his body was facing hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him, wet and cold as she was.

Face buried against the back of her shoulder, he muttered something before drifting off to sleep.

But what he said-

-almost absently.

"I think I'll marry you."


	14. Sasuke and Kiba

**Author's Note:** So, I deleted a lot of the original content and integrated part of a scene from Light, and part of a scene from a deleted one-shot, then added a little (because the original version of this chapter was pretty bad). But I retained the general theme of the previous version. Some of the next few chapters are going to have a lot of new content, as the originals were very poorly written.

* * *

Have you seen them?"

"Them?"

"I saw them kissing."

"Not my Sasuke-kun!"

"She's too good for him! She's so adorable – and heir to Hyuuga. He's just a stupid traitor."

"_He's_ too good for _her_. He's a gorgeous genius and she's just a black sheep."

"Why don't you two just admit it…"

"Nani?"

"They make a decent couple."

There were rumors abound, and quickly spreading throughout the village.

"You carry sake in your canteen!?" Lee's shocked exclamation was so loud that many heads darted their way.

"Lee...shut up," murmured Neji, his hand traveling to the back of his teammate's neck. Lee groaned in pleasure, thinking Neji was so kind as to give him a massage. Just before Neji could reach the appropriate pressure point to knock Lee unconscious against the bar, two audacious hands covered his eyes.

"Tenten," Neji said patiently. "That trick will not, and will never work on me. How drunk _are_ you?"

Tenten simply giggled and plopped herself into his lap. She began to nibble his ear, to Neji's alarm. "Tenten!" he shouted. "You're making me spill my drink."

"You know, I saw your cousin and Sasuke-kun making out by the training grounds the other day," she told him, drunkenly. She licked his cheek, causing him to violently twitch. "Aren't you happy for them? They make such a _cute couple._"

* * *

"Go home," Sasuke ordered her. It was early; hours to sunrise. "Before I don't let you," he added nonchalantly, biting his toast as she blushed from the corner of his eye.

Again dressed in one of the Uchiha's old outfits, Hinata hurried back to the Hyuuga house, holding up her pants, and sneaking inside through her bedroom window. She still had some residual pain in her back, but her limbs had loosened up, and she felt a lot better.

She stalked to her bed and collapsed upon it, thinking of what Sasuke had told her the night before; wondering if it hadn't just been a dream.

* * *

That afternoon, Kiba put in his best effort to get along with Hinata's boyfriend. He even went over to Kakashi's house and offered to escort Sasuke for the day. The Uchiha agreed to go along with Kiba for "errands."

"-and we just come here to discuss missions and stuff," Kiba was explaining as he and Sasuke entered a room, clad only in towels.

…it was a bathhouse.

"Right," said Sasuke tersely. He refrained from mentioning he found the entire scenario to be rather strange.

He gazed down into the pool, and watched as Kankuro and Lee wrestled with each other, as Neji shampooed his hair, and as Chouji made himself some purple beverage in a little plastic baggy. Shikamaru floated about face down (...dead?), and Shino brooded in a wet lonely corner.

At Kiba and Sasuke's entrance, everyone eyed Sasuke warily. The silence was deafening, at least until Chouji began to loudly choke on his soapy juice drink.

"What are you doing here, Uchiha?" said Neji threateningly.

"Blurgle," Rock Lee agreed, his head submerged, and the water distorting his (racy) remarks.

Sasuke grit his teeth and glared down at them. He threw off his towel, as if to make a statement. Everyone gaped in wonder, except for Chouji, who was not impressed.

"Bathing," Sasuke abruptly cut off the show as he lowered himself into the water. He made sure to keep his distance from everyone – especially Kankuro.

"It's all right guys, _he's with me_," Kiba mentioned reluctantly, hopping into the pool.

And so, the "mission discussing" commenced.

"Is that a real tattoo?"

"How do you get your hair so long and silky?"

Giggle. "Stop tickling me!"

"Will you scrub my back?"

"Sure thing, pal."

"Ohhh, yessss, yesss, GIVE IT TO ME!"

Feeling paranoid, Sasuke kept mostly to himself, the only thing keeping him in the pool being that there were several ANBU wandering about who would be likely to stop him were he to attempt to leave the building without a shinobi escort. As he backed himself behind a friendly-looking bolder, he noticed Neji on the other side.

"A word?" said the Hyuuga neutrally.

Sasuke began to wade away, regretting that he couldn't use either of his elements in water. He knew that one water jutsu from the day before, but that was just because of his proneness to drowning. "I think I dropped my soap-" Sasuke was cut off as the Hyuuga grabbed a chunk of his hair. Writhing and splashing ensued.

As Neji attempted to drown Sasuke, the other boys gathered 'round, cheering for one or the other.

"Go Neji!" cried Lee.

"Kill him!" screamed Kiba passionately. "Kill him once and for all!"

* * *

When Hinata met up with Sasuke by the hospital that evening, he seemed rather…damp.

"Hi," she said meekly.

"Hn," Sasuke responded, seeming unenthusiastic about seeing her.

Hinata frowned to herself as she followed Sasuke inside. The two headed to his teammates' hospital room and walked in, where they saw that both Naruto and Sakura were sitting up, laughing and gesturing to each other from the distance between their beds. They paused, and looked up at seeing Sasuke and Hinata.

"We heard you were awake," said Sasuke, as he approached Sakura's bed.

The pink-haired kunoichi smiled. "Awake, but not much. The nurses barely let me out of bed."

"I can take you for a walk around the hospital," Hinata offered.

Sakura's eyes widened at this. "Really? Would you?"

"Of course," said Hinata. If she made her best effort to befriend Sasuke's teammates, maybe he would return the favor with poor Kiba, and Shino-kun.

She went over to Sakura, and helped her out of bed. The other kunoichi leaned heavily on her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They slowly made their way out of the room, Sakura forcing her legs to heed her.

"Hinata?" Sakura said, through her effort of walking down the hallway.

"Un?"

"I didn't – know you and Sasuke-kun were – together. If I had, I would never have kissed him!"

Hinata blinked at this revelation. She pressed her lips, feeling herself redden, but this had nothing to do with embarrassment. She looked away from Sakura as she continued.

"I'm – so sorry. I just think we can be – good – good friends, right?"

"You're losing your breath," said Hinata patiently. "Let me…let me t-take you back to your room." Hinata continued to gaze ahead and not at the pink-haired girl.

She saw Sakura frown and nod from the corner of her eye, and the two of them made their way back to the hospital room together. When they got there, Sasuke and Naruto looked as though they'd already had enough of each other. Hinata helped Sakura into her bed.

"Ready?" said Sasuke, not bothering to wait for Hinata to respond as he walked out of the room.

Hinata hesitated, but followed. After the door had closed securely behind her, she inquired, "You k-kissed Sakura-san?" She walked alongside Sasuke toward the hospital's exit.

He glanced back at her. "Aa."

"Why?"

"Because she let me."

Hinata's face burned more. He didn't even seem to care. Was this an act of spite towards her for not having sex with him? And if he had kissed Sakura-san, did it mean he was kissing other girls? Doing things other than kissing? Hinata began to stalk off in the opposite direction, but Sasuke caught her arm.

"Where are you going?"

"Do you love me?" She didn't know why she blurted it out. It had nothing to do with the matter at hand, and yet it seemed the most relevant thing in the world. Maybe this wasn't about Sakura, or anything else. Maybe it was about her desperation for him to reciprocate the one thing he had not been able to tell her.

She looked up at him with her desperate, tear-filled eyes.

"No," said Sasuke, and it was like he cut her line of oxygen. She looked down, regretting as her tears spilled from her eyes. She should have been prepared for this.

When Sasuke wrapped his arms around her, Hinata resisted. As usual, he was nursing her wounds just to tear them open again. Their relationship had been one brutal torture.

"I'm lacking in so many ways."

Hinata pushed him away from her. Sasuke complied to step back, regarding her with the same air of apathy.

"Wh-what you said-" Hinata managed. She sniffed. "L-last night."

"What did I say?" he asked.

Hinata closed her eyes, hiding them behind her sleeve. _You said you wanted to marry me,_ she thought, but refused to voice it. She turned and stormed off, promising herself to never be deceived by the Uchiha again.


	15. Rebound

It had been a week since they had broken up.

For the first few days, Hinata cried uncontrollably in her bedroom when she thought no one was around to hear her. In the days that followed, she spent her free time simply laying there, staring at the ceiling.

Sometimes she thought about him…his kisses, all over her body. Her thoughts lingered on their addictive nature. She thought of his fingers against her skin, and sometimes she even had…dreams about him. She would wake up flustered, and go out for some air.

She grew adept at making fake smiles, ones that satisfied her teammates if they ever sensed her diminishing composure. Her fake smiles turned to bitter ones when she returned home at the end of the day.

"This is weird Hinata," Kiba mentioned, when she suggested they stay out for a few extra hours that day. "Training in the evening? I was going to head to the bathhouse…"

"T-trust me Kiba-kun – i-it'll be fun," Hinata tried to reassure him.

"There's no moon out , I would have thought something like this would make you uncomfortable," said Shino.

Hinata smiled slightly. She wasn't afraid of the night anymore. She idly looked up at the sky, enjoying its beauty, reflecting on how it rivaled Sasuke's eyes…his smirk…. She thought on how her fears of darkness had diminished since meeting him, how his existence supplemented hers, making her stronger every day.

She remembered his subtle approval, the way his mouth twitched when she landed a hit he had expected to block. How he was proud of her progress, yet always seemed pleased if she fell into his arms at the end of the day.

And now she was crying again.

Hating herself at that moment, Hinata turned away from her teammates in an effort to hide her tears. They didn't know about her break-up with Sasuke. She sobbed despite herself. Her shoulders trembled.

"Hinata…" said Kiba uncertainly.

Without thinking, she ran off.

* * *

When Naruto was released from the hospital, the nurses were amazed by his speedy recovery. He continued to suffer a few aches and pains, but he was perfectly able to go about on his own again.

Upon departure, Naruto finally managed to get Kakashi to tell him what had happened.

Sakura.

It was as he had suspected. She had hurt him, and he – Naruto had winced when Kakashi disclosed the vicious things he had done to Sakura-chan. The blonde continued to be amazed by the potency of the mind-confusion technique. Kakashi suggested he train to ensure he could fend off future mind attacks.

As Naruto walked to his favorite food stand for some much needed ramen, he mused on these past events. Even if he and Sakura _had_ been locked in a strong jutsu, he was astonished that they would be able to inflict so much harm upon each other. Hadn't Sakura been able to fend off mental techniques in the past, during the chunnin exams? Then why had she been able to – why had she…

Naruto became lost in his thoughts. He absently twirled the menma about in his stew.

He and Sakura were experienced shinobi, and should have recognized each other on some level. They should have been able to fight the technique. Naruto didn't understand how they could have been so lost as to try to kill each other.

If he loved her, the way he thought he did, then none of it made any sense at all.

Suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, Naruto pushed his ramen away and left some notes on the counter before wandering off. Despite that it was evening time, the air was still hot and humid, so Naruto pulled off his orange jacket and placed it queerly upon his head. This didn't stop the girls that passed him from missing a step. Even some older women – mothers; wives – offered him shy waves and appreciative glances, as though they _hadn't _spent his childhood treating him like a _freakshow_.

Naruto barely noticed. With his jacket removed, he wore only a mesh tank top, which revealed his tan, muscled chest, that gleamed with sweat from the exertion of walking around in early recovery. As he had aged, the whisker marks on his cheeks became not feral anymore, but rugged and attractive. His golden hair fell in his eyes in sort of a mystical, majestically, ethereal manner, and-

To be frank, Naruto was a _tool._

Little did he notice.

He sighed to himself, oblivious of his destination. He was too weak to train, and even had lost his appetite for ramen, the enigma of Haruno Sakura congesting his psyche.

As Naruto turned down a new road deciding it was time to go home to his empty apartment, he was surprised to notice Hyuuga Hinata sitting on a bench with her face in her hands.

* * *

Hinata played her last conversation with Sasuke again and again in her mind. His pocketed hands and his blank expression.

"Do you love me?" She treaded upon poisonous pins. On scratch, and she would surely die.

"No."

_Do you love me?_

_No._

_D-do you love me?_

Had she asked too much? How could things have turned out differently? What did it matter, whether he loved her or not? What did _he _matter, he was just some stupid boy. Hinata trembled.

When had he become so important in her life?

Feeling something crawl down her cheek, she brushed her face with her hand, only to find wetness there. She quickly proceeded to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. _I have to stop crying!_

"Hinata?"

She was startled by the sound of her name beside her, turning to see Naruto seated on the other side of the bench. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts of Sasuke, she hadn't even noticed Naruto's arrival. His brows creased as curiosity became concern.

"Hinata…why are you crying?"

Hinata quickly shook her head and waved her hands. "I'm n-not cr-crying," she said unconvincingly, whilst forcing a smile that trembled worrisomely.

Naruto bit he mouth. "Right," he conceded, at least for the time being. "Ano…what are you doing here sitting alone? Shouldn't you be at home with your family, or with…." Naruto trailed off as he realized.

Hinata looked at her lap. "Sasuke-kun and I…w-we…"

As the Hyuuga choked back a sob, Naruto mused on the "kun" with which she had followed Sasuke's name. It was excessively formal considering their relation. _I see,_ thought Naruto. _So they broke up._

Hinata was clearly a novice when it came to teenage heartbreak. She was back to rubbing her tears, so much so, that her cheeks were getting raw. Naruto grabbed her hand to stop her, and she froze. He lowered her hand to her lap, and she blankly stared at him.

"Sasuke's my best friend..." said Naruto, struggling for what to say. "But – he's also a _teme_," he added frankly. To his surprise, the corner of Hinata's mouth lifted slightly, maybe because he had achieved his purpose of consoling her, or maybe because she knew it to be true. Either way, Naruto was relieved that she had stopped crying. "Seriously Hinata-chan, don't waste your tears on him."

She sniffed and nodded, continuing to offer him her focus. And then she bit her bottom lip, and looked back down. "I'm g-glad you're o-out of b-bed Naruto-kun."

Naruto noted her stutter; it only seemed to go away when Sasuke was around. _Maybe I can fix that, _he mused, brushing back her hair, to her confusion. "Sasuke's still learning to forge normal relationships. He may never be able to commit to anyone completely."

Hinata met Naruto's blue eyes. That was what she had long feared…what she was beginning to realize to be true. Could that ever be enough for her?

"But Sasuke doesn't deserve you."

The more time Naruto spent around Hinata, the more beautiful she seemed to become. Delightful…adorable…why had it taken him so long to notice? "I can help you get through this," he assured her, watching as a faint blush decorated her features. Maybe she was finally beginning to remember her feelings. "If you want me to," Naruto continued, finally lowering his arm. Hinata's blush, her stutter, her fidgeting and anxiety; the mere fact that she seemed so small-

-they made him feel so much bigger, so much stronger in comparison, whereas Sakura made him weak. Was it wrong that this was what drew him? That maybe her stuttering wasn't such a bad thing for him after all?

Was it wrong that he could touch her, steer her, convince her into things she wouldn't do otherwise? That he was so righteous, she would never contest him – that he supplemented her insecurities rather than her strengths?

_What does it matter? _Naruto thought, leaning forward. _Show me everything that you've shown Sasuke. _

Hinata could not move.

When Naruto closed his eyes and moved toward her, his intentions were clear.

_But why now? _Hinata wanted to know.

Did it matter? Naruto was handsome, and strong – he was confidence embodied, and she loved him; she always had.

Hinata closed her eyes and decided that it was all right. Naruto-kun was the boy she had spent most of her life pining over. He had become powerful, respected, and was even being groomed to become Hokage one day. He was the life of Konoha, and any woman would be lucky to have him – lucky beyond _logic_.

And Sasuke. He was...

The only boy who had ever kissed her.

The only boy who knew how to get under her skin in the perfect way, who tortured her without trying, and treated her like a shinobi, not a flower. He knew how to make her cry, he was so well at it. He also knew how to make her blush, and smile, and lived to torment her to the point of hiding her face in his shirt.

Sasuke was the one boy who knew how to touch her, the spots that made her blush, and the ones that made her whimper in weak protest.

Hinata turned her face, causing Naruto's lips to connect with her cheek. "No," she said softly. _You don't know how I like to be kissed. _

The two opened their eyes and looked up to notice Uchiha Sasuke standing across the road, having stopped to stare at them.


	16. Bathhouse

Over the past few days, Kakashi had begun to notice differences in Sasuke's behavior, such as the fact that he had begun to sleep in more than usual. Kakashi also began to notice Hinata's absence in the mornings and evenings, and the fact that Sasuke didn't go off to train as often as he normally did.

Frowning to himself as he realized what had transpired, the jounin decided it best not to become involved. He was disheartened that Sasuke's relationship with Hinata had ended, as he knew that it had become something substantial to both of them, but decided that trying to reason with either of them would probably do more harm than good.

Kakashi looked up as Sasuke's bedroom door creaked open.

Although it was already late in the afternoon, Sasuke seemed to be only just getting out of bed. He stalked to the bathroom in a zombie-like fashion, barely seeming to notice his sensei's existence over the past week.

Kakashi sighed, and returned his attention to his mission scroll.

It wasn't until that evening that Sasuke exited the apartment, somewhat disgusted by how warm and starry it was outside. Sword clutched in his hand, he headed for the training grounds, hoping that beating the crap out of some trees would help calm his frustrations.

It was annoying, how much leisure time he suddenly had. When not attacking inanimate objects, Sasuke spent his time sleeping or working out. His schedule had changed since he'd started dating the Hyuuga, and he was having difficulty remembering how it had been originally. Once or twice he had stopped by the hospital because Sakura seemed to be the one person who he didn't want to kill at the moment.

Whereas Hinata…

He was done with her. He could do nothing for her, and give nothing _to_ her. Her request for love was out of his hands.

Just as he was attempting to cast Hinata from his mind, Sasuke sensed her chakra nearby, and unintentionally glanced in the direction it was coming from. His eyes locked on Naruto sitting on a bench beside her, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. Afterwards, the pair looked up, finally noticing him.

Feeling his muscles tense, and his body to become hot for some reason, Sasuke walked off, wondering why he had stopped in the first place. He didn't even notice that he had activated the sharingan, and he suddenly felt too unfocused to train.

To his increasing displeasure, he sensed Hinata following him, despite that he _hated _her at that moment, and wasn't beyond castrating Naruto in the next.

But Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek and maintained his calm demeanor. He increased his pace and decided to go to the hospital, as he suspected his only hopes of _not _hurting someone at that moment was Sakura's sound counseling.

So instead of passing by the hospital to go to the training grounds, as he had originally intended, Sasuke walked inside. Hinata was hurrying to catch up to him, but he hadn't expected her to follow him through the doors.

She nearly collided with him as he turned to face her. "Sasuke!" she said, grabbing his hand.

The mere contact sent a shock through his body, waves of pain and pleasure crashing through his mind. It was so unnatural, he almost snatched his hand away – but couldn't. He wondered if Hinata had experienced a similar affect, but she barely seemed to notice, still breathless from her run.

She unconsciously entwined her fingers with his, her face wet, and cheeks raw. It was only there that he noticed she had been crying. His chest tightened, though he didn't know why.

"N-Naruto-kun, he didn't-" Hinata struggled to explain herself.

"I don't care," Sasuke said, still attempting, and failing to detach his hand from hers. She didn't even notice that he was her captive. Why wasn't his body heeding his commands? "Stop trying to explain."

"But I want to," Hinata said, despite her sudden onslaught of sobs. "B-but all you wanted-" she took a deep breath, and what she managed to say next was spoken softly, piece by piece, "all you wanted, was sex."

"All I wanted was you!" Sasuke snapped.

At this, both were shocked enough to break their linked hands. The silence that followed was so potent that both were drawn to awareness of the hospital lobby, and the dozens of people frozen around them, staring.

Leaving Hinata there looking pathetic, and vulnerable, and beautiful, Sasuke stalked down a nearby corridor, his feet carrying him to Sakura's hospital room, though his mind couldn't have been further from his path. He entered the room and slammed the door shut behind him, then leaned upon it, and breathed. His tomoe spun and his heart raced.

"Why were you yelling at Hinata?"

Sasuke finally registered Sakura's presence in the bed across the room. He deepened his breaths and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his sharingan was deactivated.

Most of Sakura's surface injuries had faded, no doubt due to the assist of healing chakra, but she still seemed to be exhausted, he based on the dark shadows that were beneath her eyes.

As she tried to climb to a sitting position, Sasuke went over to her bed and helped her, if only because Sakura had helped him to stand on countless occasions in the past. The Uchiha noticed that she had moved to the bed that had been Naruto's, but tried to ignore this, as it only seemed to temp his anger.

"I heard you. Well – just the sounds of your voices," she continued.

Sasuke was not interested in discussing the matter. "It wasn't anything," he said tersely.

"Oh…" said Sakura, giving him a skeptic look. "So you don't want to talk?"

It was obvious to her that something was wrong, so he attempted to relax his bearing.

It wasn't working.

"Yes," he said, his gaze drifting to her shoulder, where he counted the faint plaid patterns across her hospital gown, _one two…one two…_ though he had never been good at mediating. His eyes returned to her increasingly concerned expression.

He breathed in.

Breathed out.

"I feel like a bath," he mentioned, to her confusion. "Can you teach me some water techniques?"

* * *

After copying the two or so water techniques Sakura knew (it wasn't her element either. That, or she didn't like to share…), Sasuke walked through the Konoha streets. As the sky grew darker, less people were out and about, but thanks to Kiba, Sasuke was familiar with the main point of popularity to the Konoha teenagers. He slipped into the bathhouse he had been to a week before.

Finding the male pool, Sasuke quickly stripped naked before lowering himself in. He soaked his head with water so to distort (improve) his trademark haircut, then glanced around for the person he was looking for.

With his face partially submerged in his continued efforts to be stealthy, Sasuke's eyes met a few familiar faces.

There was Kiba who was running around the rim of the pool buck naked, and Chouji, who this time was snacking on soggy potato chips. Neji and Lee (who both seemed a little tipsy) were wrestling with each other, and Shino was abruptly shoved beneath the water's surface when Kiba leapt onto his back.

Sasuke cringed and hid behind a large rock, only to notice Shikamaru on the other side, resembling himself: soaked and sulky. The strategist stood there completely motionless, and Sasuke searched for another bolder.

_Don't these morons have showers? _he wondered, scanning the room until his eyes caught a flash of blonde.

Sasuke didn't know what he was planning, but he climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel, before stalking Naruto to the changing rooms. There, the blonde was hastily pulling on his ramen-printed boxers. Sasuke tied his towel firmly around his waist.

"What do you want?" said Naruto, throwing him an ugly look.

He could have probably produced a cooler answer than, "To kill you!" but that was what Sasuke found bursting out of his mouth.

He launched himself at the blonde, and the two quickly became a slippery scuffle, their amazing ninja skills somehow forgotten in lieu of biting, scratching, strangling, and hair pulling. Sasuke even attempted to drive a stake through Naruto's _tiny heart_, only to realize, belatedly, that it was a toothbrush.

He was caught by a wave of dizziness when the blonde smashed his head against Neji's toaster. "If this is about Hinata-"

"This has nothing to do with Hinata," Sasuke returned, sticking his fingers into Naruto's eye sockets, and causing the blonde to release an extraterrestrial scream.

As Naruto clutched his face in agony, his knee accidentally connected with Sasuke's groin. The Uchiha collapsed to the ground with his arms between his thighs, fearing he was going to die.

Not. About. Hinata.

...but wasn't it?

_Hinata._

Who else?

Every – single – time – he entrusted someone with something so fragile as his confidence, all they managed to do was break it.

Naruto crawled over to him, looking worse for wear. "How could you say it isn't?"

Sasuke's fist collided with his face, knocking him back down. "Shut up, _dobe_," he hissed, beginning to climb up, himself.

Just as Sasuke regained his footing, Naruto released an animalistic snarl and tackled him. The two slammed into the wall.

...the paper wall.

Somewhat dizzy, Sasuke and Naruto found themselves on the floor of the reception area. At the sight of the two half-naked prodigies straddling each other, several women fainted. A dozen or so simply attacked them like horny zombies. Naruto screamed in agony as sharp teeth tore at his tan, beautiful flesh.

Adept in evading fangirls, Sasuke managed to get away. He slipped outside in only his towel, cursing at seeing that it was pouring rain. Naked and shivering, he took to the alleyways and stalked off.

As he skirted passed the Hokage tower, he spotted Kakashi strolling out of it. Sasuke froze and the two stared at each other for an entire minute, his sensei's expression remaining completely aloof.

And then he pocketed his hands. "Sasuke? A word?"


	17. Tension

**Author's Note:** This chapter is brought to you by present-Winkle. You're welcome.

* * *

When Uchiha Sasuke entered the apartment, smirking to himself and covered in mud over a week prior, Kakashi had said nothing, even as his floor was covered in mucky footprints. When Sasuke had walked into the apartment shriveled, pale, and half-drowned some days later, Kakashi had simply stared in concern that he and Hinata were getting too adventurous with their sex games. And that evening, when Kakashi caught Sasuke running around Konoha stark naked except for a wet towel, Kakashi finally found that he had to intervene.

The two were back at the apartment, Sasuke seated on the living room couch, still wet and nude except for his towel, but looking rather nonchalant about it.

Kakashi stood before him, and carefully considered his words. "I know you're young, and may feel the need to…experiment sometimes-"

The Uchiha paused from rubbing a suspicious-looking bite mark on his shoulder. He gave Kakashi a nasty look.

"But you're going to get in trouble if you keep running around like this. Maybe you've been idle for too long. You're coming on my mission with me first thing tomorrow morning."

* * *

Naruto and Hinata walked through the Hokage tower together, neither able to look at the other.

"So I guess you heard what happened at the bathhouse last night," Naruto broke the silence.

"K-Kiba-kun told me," said Hinata.

As they reached Tsunade's office, Hinata attempted to walk inside, but Naruto put his hand on the door, stopping her.

"You should know, I requested you – personally – for this mission," Naruto said, smiling awkwardly. "I figured it would help you get your mind off – things," he finished lately.

_Sasuke._

Hinata politely bowed her head. "T-thank you Naruto-kun. I'm s-sure it will help!"

As Naruto didn't respond, Hinata raised her face, to see that he was absently watching her. She blushed under his scrutiny, then noticed some scratches on his neck, but he quickly covered them with his hand.

"Don't worry about this _Sasuke thing. _Trust me, he's just _PMSing._"

When Hinata stared at him in shock, Naruto abruptly remembered that she was a girl. He waved his hands frantically and spewed out a few hundred apologies.

Hinata simply glanced away. Sometimes Naruto reminded her of Kiba-kun. She almost smiled.

Almost.

She reflected on how angry Sasuke must have been, to have attacked Naruto somewhere as inappropriate as a bathhouse. She dwelled on the one detail Kiba had mentioned offhandedly – that Sasuke had been clothed in nothing but a towel. She reddened as she unintentionally began to imagine it.

"I'm sorry," Naruto was saying for the umpteenth time. Again, he reached down to her hair, and cleared a spot at her temple – as if to plant a kiss.

Hinata tried to pull away, "S-Sasuke-"

"Sasuke isn't here."

Her shoulders trembled.

"I know you like me Hinata. But I'm not him."

And it couldn't have been more obvious.

Bowing her head, Hinata pushed passed Naruto and entered Tsunade's office. She only hoped he was right in suggesting the mission would get Sasuke off her mind.

* * *

The group of four stood in the forest, a generally peeved atmosphere amongst them. The three teenagers could barely stand to look at one another.

Kakashi had claimed he hadn't known that Naruto and Hinata had been assigned the same mission as them. Of course, Sasuke overheard Kakashi swearing the same thing to Naruto. His fists clenched in irritation.

Though he didn't look at her directly, he could see Hinata from the corner of his eye.

He had known that getting into a relationship with her had always been a bad idea. He had told himself again and again, had pounded it into his skull, and yet he had still kissed her, had kept her in his company, had consented to being her boyfriend, and _now…_

…now he was losing his mind.

Hinata walked by, taking little notice of the contemptuous look he was directing towards her. She paid no attention to Sasuke, almost to a suspicious degree, and occupied herself at that moment by dislodging some kunai from a nearby tree, despite that she was dangerously distracted, and his voice seemed to echo in her mind every minute of every hour–

_All I wanted was you._

"Hinata, can you scout the perimeter?" Kakashi called.

Hinata activated the byakugan, and made sure she did.

Sasuke wiped his sword on some leaves. The group had encountered two rogue Kumo ninja, but had taken them down without difficulty. Naruto was crouched down, searching the bodies for anything that might be useful as they proceeded.

"There's one more," said Hinata suddenly. "He's getting away!" She darted through some trees.

As Sasuke and Kakashi started after her, several more nin dropped from the surrounding trees.

"Reinforcements," said Kakashi, as Naruto rose. The three were quickly engaged in a scuffle of techniques.

Sasuke blocked strikes and deflected jutsu, but his mind couldn't have been further from the fight. Kumogakure was known for its attempts to steal the byakugan, and Hinata had been specifically warned not to go off on her own. What if this was all just a diversion? Sasuke impatiently slashed the throat of his latest challenger, then raced off in the direction Hinata had gone, tearing through leaves and branches until he found her, and she was-

-drinking from her canteen. She nearly choked at seeing him burst through the brush, breathless, and armed, with his sharingan upon her. As Hinata fell into a fit of coughs, Sasuke continued to scrutinize her. He then lowered his sword, his jaw relaxing, and his eyes turning black again. "Where's the fleer?"

"He – got away–" Hinata managed.

"Hn." He gave her an unimpressed look. She returned it with one of her own.

Their radios crackled. "Sasuke?" said Kakashi's voice.

Sasuke turned away from Hinata and fingered the receiver in his ear. "I'm up ahead. With – Hyuuga," he said tersely.

A moment passed before Kakashi responded. "Good. You two stay ahead, by at least half a mile. I need you to pose as civilians and do some reconnaissance for us until we reach the village. Put away your weapons, hide your vests-" Then the radio cut off again. Sasuke waited, but there were no further instructions.

Not looking at each other, Sasuke and Hinata shed their vests and forehead protectors, burying them in some bushes to retrieve later. With some reluctance, Sasuke also removed his sword. He glanced at Hinata, who had removed her weapons holster from her thigh, to instead strap to her lower leg on the inside of her slacks.

"We're off," said Sasuke, before taking off his ear piece and flicking it away. Hinata turned hers off and tucked it into her pocket.

Sasuke and Hinata proceeded through the woods and towards the territory just on the outskirts of the hidden village of Cloud. Kumo rogues had stolen an important scroll from one of Konoha's bases, and their goal was to retrieve it. Sources had led them to a heavily-guarded military building run by samurai of the Lightening Country. It was a B-class mission, but Tsunade had requested that they go about it with subtlety, so not to aggravate tensions between Konoha and Kumo.

Sasuke and Hinata walked for several kilometers together in silence, and rather than being uncomfortable, it was almost…ordinary between them. They didn't look at each other during their venture, but sensed each other through the sounds of their movements. The two became increasingly cautious as the forest thinned. Without having to verbally communicate, they knelt in the cover of trees as they spotted a road in the distance, and beyond that, a thick stone wall that went up at least fifty feet.

"C'mon," Sasuke hissed, and they proceeded forward, keeping to their thinning cover of foliage.

Soon the base was a few yards away, and the two had crossed the road onto its territory. There was little cover remaining except a tree or two, leaving them exposed and at a strategic disadvantage. It was only as Hinata activated the byakugan to examine the wall that she spotted the guards patrolling the perimeter – one who was quickly approaching. Her white eyes would give away her nationality, and Sasuke's black ones, as well. She began to reach for her weapons' holster, when Sasuke grabbed her jacket and pulled her against him.

Suddenly he was kissing her, and she didn't know why or how it came to be, just that she was kissing him harder. They stumbled into the wall, and quickly resumed, Sasuke's hands on her hips, drawing her against his arousal, their tongues invading each other's mouths, her legs wrapping around him, and fingers pulling off his shirt.

She was pressed harder against the wall as the two fell into rhythmic grunts. His hand explored her upper thigh as hers trailed down from his abdomen. She shrugged off her jacket, allowing it to fall to the ground, leaving her just in a tank top, and Sasuke in his long black armguards that displayed his muscled shoulders and lean pecs.

The world spun and spun around them as they were intoxicated by each other's proximity. They didn't notice the approaching guard who spotted them then sauntered off again, dismissing the two as "horny teenagers." They didn't even notice when Kakashi and Naruto approached.

Naruto coughed. "Guys?"

The two doujutsu-users opened their eyes and stared at one another for a moment before taking notice of their audience. Hinata was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Un?" said Sasuke, who was fumbling with his belt. Hinata grasped around for her jacket, and hurriedly pulled it on. She quickly climbed up from the ground, neatening her tousled hair. As an afterthought, Sasuke and Hinata gave each other venomous looks. Hinata was red, breathless, and terribly disheveled. She looked away, at anything but _him._

"Are you all right Sasuke?"

She was surprised that Kakashi's query was directed not towards her, but Sasuke. She snuck another glance at her ex to realize he was just as flustered as she was.

"Of course," Sasuke seethed.

"Let's move in," said Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi spent the entirety of the trip back to Konoha giving them lecherous smirks. Sasuke could tell by the crinkle of his right eye. Naruto, meanwhile, had become blank-faced and somewhat withdrawn. Every time he looked at his comrades, he would redden, then look away again.

Although Sasuke and Hinata had informed them that their…display…had been the product of strategic discretion, neither Kakashi nor Naruto seemed very convinced.

After the mission, Sasuke went straight to the hospital to see Sakura, because he knew when he was with her, he could relax, if just for a few moments. She was the _only _one. Maybe he belonged with her, like everyone used to say.

He stopped himself before he entered her hospital room, taking a moment to reflect on what had happened with Hinata. It _had _been an act of strategic discretion – at least it had _started out _as one. He had just been following up on their cover – two civilian teenagers, a male and a female – _what else would they be doing in the woods?_

So to spare the life of the approaching guard, he had kissed Hinata, but then something had gone terribly wrong. Strange…urges…had taken over him, and he had nearly lost control. Had Naruto and Kakashi not interrupted, he didn't know _what _he would have done to her. And Hinata had even _participated. _Sasuke felt himself become hot as he wondered what _her _excuse had been.

Dispelling these thoughts, he entered Sakura's room, where she was already sitting up, and absently staring through the window by her bed. She turned to him and smiled. "What are you angry about this time?"

"I'm always angry," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Not always," Sakura noted, though he could not conceive to what she was referencing. "Come here." She patted the spot next to her on the bed.

Sasuke obeyed, despite his subconscious urging against it. It was because Sakura was everything Hinata was not – stability, lucidity…calm. With her he could wind down, and his heart remained steady. He felt her pull up his shirt and stroke his back, her numbing, healing chakra diving into his latest wounds. He was impressed by how quickly she had managed to recover. Sakura was strong, and Hinata – she was…

Weak. Annoying. Alluring. Bewitching.

Sakura giggled, as though she could read his mind. "You're obsessed with her."

This was something he could no longer deny, the reason for which, he could not determine.

"You really love her, don't you?"

"No – I –" He trailed off. _Fuck._


	18. I Do

**Author's Note:** I don't like putting author's notes at the ends of posts, because I like getting readers' initial reactions to my chapters. I don't put them at the beginnings of chapters, because, well…I'm pretty lame. But that's going to change! Yeah… So prepare for an author's note marathon! Also, tell me what you think I should say, because honestly, I've got nothing…

Also, did I mention that chapter 19 is already done? I'm so bored, I'm not sure what to do with it. Do you think it would taste good with some peanut butter?

* * *

Sasuke took inventory of his surroundings. He was on training ground one, surrounded by trees, briars, and the occasional squirrel.

Activating the sharingan, he took aim at the living creatures. "Katon," he hissed, wondering how many of them he could set on fire.

Over the next hour, Sasuke managed to burn down the training field, but had surprisingly been unable to kill any squirrels. He had even gone out of his way to save one, actually.

_What am I doing? _he wondered, irritably.

He could no longer determine why he was so angry at Hinata. Maybe because she had affected him to a degree that unnerved him. He had long been using the shinobi lifestyle as a means of keeping himself disconnected from others, but the war was over, and it had just been an excuse. It was as though he hated Hinata because he didn't know how to – because he didn't _deserve to _–

There was a phantom pain behind his shoulder. As his sharingan reactivated, Sasuke clutched the side of his neck and attempted to properly regulate his chakra. _Fucking Uchiha curse._ His chakra was growing restless and searching for an outlet, but he had long been liberated from Orochimaru's seal. He deeply breathed until the flare subsided.

Maybe he…_needed _her.

Much the way it had when he had lost his clan, and when he had killed Itachi, his own body was protesting the latest broken connection. So maybe he didn't hate her as much as he would have others believe. Hyuuga Hinata dominated him.

The war was over, as reluctant was he was to believe it. After months spent in the village, no one had come to abduct him, or murder Naruto. No mysterious villains had appeared, making claims on his body. Sometimes he still had dreams about the consequences – his childhood, his family – but it was past him, despite his reluctance to accept it.

Hinata was in the present, and she was slipping away.

_What is this?_ Sasuke wondered, as his hand moved from his neck to his face. _This burning in my eyes. _It's was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place the sensation until he felt wetness against his fingers.

_Why am I crying? _he wondered, as he pulled back his hand and stared at it.

* * *

She had agreed to file the report for her mission with team seven, and had spent the last few hours trying to find a discreet way of describing her…physical…interaction with Sasuke. She felt herself redden, still unable to figure out what had come over her that afternoon.

"Hinata?"

She looked up from her paper work. Hanabi stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking shaken. Hinata gave her a questioning look.

"I think you should see this," said Hanabi, approaching the table and shoving Hinata's things aside. In it's place, she unrolled an antiquated scroll. "I was going through father's things in the attic, looking for new techniques and such, and I found this scroll. At first I thought it was a joke…" Hanabi trailed off, looking uneasy.

Hinata peered down at the scroll. It was titled, _The Hyuuga Curse._ Lifting it up, she quickly scanned it with her eyes.

Though the text was embellished with a lot of flowery language and subtlety Hinata would have loved to peruse for her mission report, the general theme of it was a supposed curse on the Hyuuga clan. The scroll claimed that when two powerful doujutsu users of differing clans came into contact, the sexual tension was – unparalleled. The more powerful the users, the more potent the attraction. In fact, the scroll went on to claim that if said users were ever to act on this supposed tension, and copulate, both would be driven to madness, indefinitely and incurably.

By the time Hinata had finished reading, she was ghostly pale. She looked at her sister, who looked just as frightened as she did.

"You cannot date Uchiha Sasuke," said Hanabi.

* * *

"I want you back," he said flatly.

Hinata nearly had a heart attack when she opened her bedroom door to find Sasuke standing there, arms crossed, and looking peevish. Grabbing her collar, he pulled her inside, and closed the door behind her, before observing her paleness. "You're afraid?"

She shook her head, _no,_ and detached his hand from her clothes. She backed away from him despite it, but Sasuke followed, not wanting her to get away.

Sakura made his heart calm.

Hinata made it race, without knowing, without trying, just standing there, staring at him.

"Let's get back together," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, and feeling her tense.

He knew he shouldn't have touched her; shouldn't have tried to kiss her –

Hinata turned away from him, causing his lips to meet her temple, though he didn't care. "I need you," he muttered.

Hinata's eyes widened. Sasuke had never been so blatant about his feelings before. She looked up at him, feeling color return to her face. "I need you too," she mumbled, feeling herself blush. She was somewhat astonished by what was happening, and couldn't help suspecting it was all a dream. It felt like lifetimes she had fanaticized of Sasuke looking at her that way again. She still had doubts about his intentions, but they weren't enough to weaken the intensity of her feelings, and she hated herself for it.

She pulled away from him and walked to her bureau where she began to distract herself by searching the drawers. "You're covered in cuts and scratches," she mumbled.

"Training ground one," said Sasuke. She remembered the briars.

As Hinata continued to search for some ointment, she tried to blink back the tears in her eyes, reminding herself what Naruto had told her – that Sasuke wasn't worth crying over.

He took a seat on her bed, absently watching her. Hinata was wearing only a black nightdress. His eyes drifted along her attractive legs. He considered the concept of her turning him down again, and felt his chest tighten. "Hinata," he said.

She froze at the sound of his deep, potent voice, saying her name in a way that always disoriented her, and maybe he was beginning to catch on. She turned around, and for a while they simply watched at each other, Hinata absently nipping her bottom lip.

Just as she thought her emotions were under control, and she could politely refuse him, Hinata closed their distance, flinging her arms around his neck. The two collapsed to the mattress together, and as she was pressed against his chest, she breathed in the familiar scents of the forest on him, and enjoyed the sensation of the familiar fabrics on her skin, grateful to have it all back for just that moment.

But then she climbed off him, and awkwardly apologized for being so clumsy as to trip and fall on him. Sasuke simply wore a pained expression, and Hinata was surprised when the corner of her mouth twitched upwards.

"The ointment," he said, nodding to the container she hadn't realized to be clasped in her hand. As he pulled off his shirt, he watched a new blush blossom on her features, and couldn't help but mention, "You like my body."

Hinata's face burned.

"You're always staring," Sasuke elaborated. He was beginning to realize his fondness for teasing her.

As Hinata looked away, she saw Sasuke stand from the corner of her eye. She wanted to leave, but her body refused to move, as he approached her, taking her chin. _Don't, _she thought, as he leaned down and kissed her.

Just as she had during their last mission, Hinata lost awareness of her surroundings. She kissed him back despite herself, regretting that she was in love with a boy who could not love her in return. Her hands connected with the skin of his back, and her fingers tentatively brushing a few scars there.

"Go ahead," Sasuke muttered against abused lips. "I know you want to touch me."

It was true.

She wanted to feel each of his muscles, to relish upon how beautiful his body was. She wanted to explore every part, to trace all of his scars, and to hear their stories.

She wanted all of him, and suddenly she was shaking; crying. Sasuke pulled away as he noticed her change.

"N-Naruto-kun means n-nothing to me," she stammered, as he looked at her with concern. "I only love you!"

Sasuke seemed caught off guard by the proclamation. "I know," he said tersely, as Hinata stared up at him.

If Sasuke was darkness, then Naruto had to be the sun. She had always been attracted to the blonde because of his warmth and radiance. Naruto was safe, and even might have even been good for her, yet was she drawn to Sasuke's darkness, his shroud of shadows where she could lose herself forever.

He momentarily looked away from her, looking uneasy and conflicted. Then back at her, with a fresh resolve. "We belong together."

"I c-can't do this anymore," Hinata sniffed. "It h-hurts too much."

"I won't hurt you again." He idly cupped her cheek, observing her wet lashes.

"W-what about S-sakura-san?" she managed. "Or – or Ino."

Sasuke lowered his hand from her face. "They don't do it for me," he deadpanned. His eyes flickered downwards, and she was suddenly conscious of her state of dress.

Hinata wrapped her arms around herself, reddening in irritation. "Y-you don't mean a-any of the things you're saying. I-it's just the Hyuuga curse. It'll make us insane."

"You're already insane," Sasuke assured her.

"D-don't you see – you don't want me. We're just attracted to each other – s-sexually," she reddened more at admitting it. "It's all the curse."

"Does it explain how much I love you?" he questioned.

"What?"

"Does it explain how much I love you?"

"No…I mean…ano…" Hinata was hit by a wave of dizziness, her mind refusing to compute what Sasuke had said. She swallowed her nerves, and inquired, "You do?"

He sighed. "I do." He pulled her forward, and she felt a kiss come down on the top of her head. "Aishiteru."


	19. Philter

**Author's Note:** This is random, but my narration is horrible. It fluctuates between third person limited and third person omniscient continuously. For example – if the narrator is omniscient, why is he/she always asking questions? I think the only way to learn how to fix these issues is to try reading more books in these perspectives and realize what I am and am not allowed to do with the narrative.

On the story: I honestly don't think Sasuke would be angry at Sakura for blabbing. Sakura had no ill-intentions in saying it. Did she even actually do anything wrong? And Sasuke doesn't strike me as someone who would involve himself in those petty he-said-she-said social politics. I think a lot of you just want me to start character-bashing Sakura for some reason.

"How dare you Sakura! Why wouldn't you just mind your damn business!? You're jealous of my and Hinata's uber-lub, aren't you!? You're going to die alone, so just start accepting the fact that you're a stupid, hideous, pink-haired bitch! Muahaha, I'm being totally in-character right nao!"

Anyway, let's talk more about Sasuke's mindset. In the anime, he does get emotional and angry during certain battles, but outside of fighting, he's pretty indifferent, at least externally. Since I'm doing a lot of introspection, I'm making him kind of emotional on a consistent basis, while being externally aloof most of the time. I guess it's really up to each author's interpretation in writing his character.

On Hanabi, well, in my personal experience in sibling relationships, though my siblings would probably pitch me into the bear exhibit at the zoo, they would probably let me out of it just short of being mauled. So, yeah, I don't think you should try to label these characters as "good" or "bad." They're all just human, like we are…but not really. O.o

On a final note, sometimes there are misunderstandings between writers and stuff, and people might claim I said this or that, or whatever, but it's ridiculous. So even if you noticed that someone was saying stuff about me, it was a simple misunderstanding that has long since been resolved.

So anyway, I fused two chapters together, because 1 – you guys deserve it. And 2 – I'm desperate to get through this story before I turn back into a pumpkin or whatever.

Chapter 20 is almost done. I'm gonna take it to the mall, buy it some cute earmuffs.

* * *

She became vaguely aware that she was pressed to Sasuke's back…spooning him…. Not that he noticed.

Hinata lifted her eyelids, drowsily watching as he slept. She couldn't determine what had roused her until she noticed how tense his muscles were. His jaw was clenched and his brow was furrowed. It seemed he was having a bad dream.

Veins rose on Hinata's temples as she sensed Sasuke's chakra become erratic. Her eyes traced his chakra circulatory system, following it to his left hand, where a mass of it was accumulating, as though to attack.

She wondered if he was fighting imaginary foes in his mind, or if it was something more authentic? She knew of the trauma he had faced in his childhood.

She leaned over him, her fingers sliding down his arm, to his hand, where she fingered the chakra holes on his wrists. She didn't have Hanabi's precision or Neji's elegance when it came to regulating tenketsu, but she knew she could handle this particular task.

She channeled some chakra to her finger tips, and burned open three of his tenketsu, diffusing his attack, and evening out his chakra. Slowly, his muscles relaxed, but he continued to dream. She saw chakra spike, curiously, behind his shoulder, and continue to flicker in his hand, though failing to manifest.

Deactivating the byakugan, Hinata closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

* * *

She was worried about him and how his chakra had been behaving the night before. She wondered if he was all right, so tried inquiring, "A-are you – a-are y-you –" Hinata pressed her lips, failing to compose her attempted sentence. She felt herself recoil as Sasuke threw her an unimpressed look.

He was seated on the edge of her bed, with his shirt off and his head bowed. At her insistence, she had knelt behind him, examining the regulation of chakra throughout his core. Everything seemed in order, but she didn't want to dismiss him yet.

It had been easy to tell him that his chakra had been acting strangely, but as things winded down, she found speaking to him in reference to anything more…intimate…than chakra regulation, seemed to have become difficult. She wanted to discuss the things that had happened the night before, but couldn't shake her fear of him rejecting her again. What if this was all just an extended game? She absently traced the muscles on his back.

"That feels good," he mentioned.

Hinata quickly retracted her hands, sitting on her heels and placing her hands on her thighs. She saw the flash of a smirk cross Sasuke's lips.

"Are we done?"

"No!" said Hinata. Surprised with herself, she closed her mouth, then struggled. "I – I r-really-" She fidgeted. "-missed…you."

A pause. "Aa." Sasuke wasn't the talkative type.

Hinata flinched at his lack of enthusiasm. Why was she stalling? Why couldn't she just get out what she wanted to say? "Last night...wh-what you said...I-I di-didn't hear...I wa-was really tired...ano...unconscious..." She was grateful at that moment that Sasuke was turned away from her, because she wouldn't have been able to meet his eyes.

"I said I love you," he stated plainly; passionless, like it wasn't anything that important. He looked at her over his shoulder. "Did you hear me? Are you awake? Conscious?"

_I don't think so…_ Hinata thought, but she managed a nod.

She watched Sasuke get up and pull his shirt back on. He eyed her for a moment, then walked off with an utterance of "Ja." She wasn't too sure, but he might have been blushing.

After he walked to the window and disappeared through it, Hinata sunk to her mattress and stared at the ceiling, his words echoing…

_I said I love you…_

* * *

The three sat around a small fire. As Hinata drew her knees up to wrap her arms around them, Naruto sat with his legs crossed as he warmed his hands. Sasuke was sitting some yards away from them, his back against a tree, and one of his knees drawn up. With the top of his head pressed against the trunk, his eyes were closed, and his nose pointed toward the sky.

It had gotten dark, the sky black, and the fire's radiance quickly becoming their sole source of light. The further away from Konoha they tread, the colder the atmosphere grew, but soon they would be in the desert, and there would be no more need for fires.

Sighing in what Naruto found to be an uncomfortable silence, he voiced the wonder that had been bothering him all day. "If it takes four days to get to Suna, why did baa-chan give us five?"

As one of his traveling companions gave him a shrug, the other left him ignored.

Hinata offered Naruto a weak smile. "I'm sure the package is very important, Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama may have over-compensated, in case there's trouble en route." She held Naruto's gaze, despite that it made her heart clench. She tried not to think about the times Naruto had attempted to kiss her, or of the fact that she had rejected him the way Sasuke had rejected her. But at that moment, she didn't want anything that could come between her and Sasuke, even despite the Hyuuga curse, and despite the fragility of their connection.

Naruto absently bit the inside of his cheek. Hinata was being as kindly towards him as ever, but they couldn't seem to shake the awkwardness between them. It was clear to him she still wasn't over Sasuke. "I can't help wanting to know what's inside," he said, pulling the package out of his backpack. "We're supposed to deliver it to Gaara in-person. Aren't you curious?"

Hinata was not. She was more curious of what technique Gaara would use to mutilate them at seeing that his package had been opened.

"Naruto-kun, p-please d-"

"Don't," mentioned Sasuke from his tree, though he had not moved an inch.

The blonde bristled. He had lost all respect for Sasuke, not after the bathhouse fiasco, but at seeing him step on a toad by accident earlier that day. Sasuke was clearly preoccupied about something. "I didn't ask you _teme,_" Naruto growled.

"Che," said Sasuke, finally opening his eyes. "I'm going to sleep," he deadpanned, getting up as though he _hadn't_ been pretended to be asleep for the past half-hour. He threw a final glance, at Hinata no less, before walking off and ducking into the tent.

Naruto was surprised by the smile that graced Hinata's lips in as she watched him.

"Feh, I guess I can wait till we get to Suna," Naruto grumbled, shoving the package back into his backpack as Hinata snapped out of her reverie. It was then that Naruto realized how very alone he and the Hyuuga were. Not knowing what to say, he panicked. "I think I'll check in too." He stood up too quickly, and was caught by a wave of dizziness, weeks recovering from injury having taken a toll on his body. With a hiss of pain, Naruto dropped to his knees.

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata was quickly standing before him, her hands on his shoulders, and concern in her eyes. "Are you all right?"

The firelight flickered on and off her body, highlighting each one of her subtle curves. Naruto's gaze drifted slowly up to her face, where he admired her worry-filled eyes, ghost white, even in the darkness. "Un..." he managed, his nose brushing her navel.

Hinata knelt down in front of him so the two were face to face. "Naruto-kun?"

She wasn't crying, like she had been the first time he had attempted to kiss her. She wasn't the small, weak creature he had hoped to lead away with extravagant declarations and romantic promises.

Hinata wasn't going to indulge him in any of his fantasies of an easier, more compliant, life. With her nose inches from his, her realized only at that moment, how much she had matured, and in such a short time. He hated himself for his attempt to erase it all in her time of weakness. She would have been the perfect woman for any selfish man.

"I'm – fine," Naruto said, climbing to his feet. He offered her his hand.

Hinata took it, allowing herself to be pulled up. The two exchanged an awkward smile, before walking off in different directions, Naruto, to put out the fire, and Hinata, to the tent. The sensation of her skin lingered on his hand.

_Her hair's getting longer, _Naruto mused as he watched her go.

* * *

Sasuke was burrowed away in his sheets, no part of his body visible. Naruto was surprised Hinata didn't mind sleeping beside the demon spawn, but was glad to have his spot near the flaps of the tent. He fell asleep within seconds of hitting his mat, and didn't notice as the girl beside him sat back up.

From her spot between the boys, Hinata observed as Naruto fervently sucked his thumb and mumbled about ramen in his sleep, while Sasuke's few movements proved only that he was alive.

Why did he sleep like a carcass? Or like a child, hiding from a dream monster?

She hesitated, and poked Sasuke. His form twitched, but he did not respond.

Sasuke was the type of person who drained others of confidence. If a person addressed him, they risked being ignored and humiliated by his disinterest in acknowledging them. Naruto was a strongly compatible friend, because he never weakened or tired. With Hinata, Sasuke was _incompatible, _to the point that she had to gather her strength and inquire–

"So – you love me?" she whispered, but there was still no response. Maybe he was beginning to regret the admission.

Hinata slowly frowned. She wondered why Sasuke couldn't spare a smile, or a nod, just to show her that things had not changed since the night before.

"Are you that insecure?" he said tiredly.

She reddened. "Why – why are you–?"

"It's cold," muttered the lump of sheets, to justify its withdrawn behavior.

Hinata scratched her cheek. "You're really c-cute sometimes," she mumbled.

The lump did not respond. It seemed uncomfortable…or something. It was hard to decipher a lump's emotions.

Hinata sighed and lay back down.

Naruto was wonderful. She would always hold love for him in her heart.

But she chose Sasuke, even if he was a jerk sometimes – even if he was often reduced to a lump of magically talking sheets. He was the one she chose over all the other lumps in Konoha.

With that, Hinata drifted off, anticipating her trip to Suna.

**Part 2**

The lake wasn't far from where they had camped, closed off on all sides by foliage.

Hinata dove into the water.

It was so early that the sun had not risen entirely. Naruto and Sasuke were still fast asleep, which granted her some privacy to bathe without having to worry about them walking in on her. Knowing Sasuke, he would probably do it on purpose.

_...would I mind?_

Hinata broke the water's surface, taking a few deep breaths of air. She pulled her hair out of her face, her mind continuing to be occupied by her boyfriend.

Even before their break-up, their relationship had steadily grown more physical...more sexual. Each time he kissed her, it was in a new place, extracting a new noise from her throat. Even from the start, their relationship had always entailed a measure of intimacy. They were better at it than they should have been. Better at touching than talking.

She was almost…grateful that Naruto was around. She didn't want to think about what she and Sasuke would be up to if they were alone.

_Is that really a bad thing? _Hinata wondered, nose-deep in the water in an attempt to cool her burning face. She couldn't deny that she loved when Sasuke touched her. She had been craving the contact since their time apart. She couldn't imagine being with anyone but him.

They had never had sex before, but that was inevitably where their relationship was headed. She was sure Sasuke was eventually going to expect more. Maybe she would even _want _it.

Her skin reddened as she remembered their episode of…strategic discretion…in the Lightening country some days before. How she had wrapped around Sasuke so tightly, she could feel the stiffness of his arousal pressing her body.

_It's the Hyuuga curse,_ Hinata told herself. It wasn't _her_ fault she was becoming a pervert.

* * *

Neither men had known Hinata was capable of such a scream.

She covered her face with a hand as Sasuke shrugged. "It was a bee," he said impassively.

The trio had spent the day travelling by tree branch, until they had reached the road that led directly into the Wind Country.

Naruto was twitching. _Is it me, or did Sasuke just __**grab Hinata's ass? **_Desperately trying to amend the situation before anyone could get hurt, Naruto squeezed himself between Sasuke and Hinata, while giving the Uchiha a warning look. Surely the boy had traumatized his ex enough for the day.

They continued down the simple dirt road that lay parallel to the forest. On the opposite side, sloping fields of grass led to a small town, visible just beneath the dusk.

"EEEEE!" The blonde's high-pitched shriek put Hinata's to shame.

Hinata's blush deepened, her hand still covering her face.

"A bee?" Naruto seethed, his voice unusually high.

"No," Sasuke responded coolly. "No bee."

Naruto tackled him.

As the blonde locked his jaw upon Sasuke's shoulder, the Uchiha wrapped his ten fingers around his neck. Sasuke rolled them both over so he could be on top, only to be thrown back to the ground a few seconds later, Naruto seeming to have the same thing in mind. Biting, and scratching, and..._groping_...ensued as the two took part in a relentless fight for dominance…which mostly consisted of a questionable amount of straddling.

"Please stop!" Hinata cried.

At the sound of her desperate plea, the two boys looked up at her, before pausing to stare.

"Hinata…your nose is bleeding."

Fortunately enough, a kunai flew by, an exploding tag attached to its handle. It hit the ground not a foot away from them, and the road went up in flames before Hinata would have to explain herself.

* * *

The Hyuuga took another sip from the saucer in her hands. She had never tasted sake before. It made her feel sort of...

_"Nice,"_ sang Naruto, after finishing a bottle in just a few gulps. He lunged toward Sasuke in an attempt to give him a slobbery, brotherly kiss, but the Uchiha swiftly dodged, causing Naruto to fall face-first to the ground.

Hinata giggled into her saucer, wondering if the blonde was already drunk. Her gaze turned to Sasuke who was sitting across from her at that small circular table. He ushered her closer, and the two put their heads together.

"Hinata," muttered Sasuke, his nose lightly brushing against hers. "Can I touch your breasts?"

As Hinata blushed and shook her head, _no_, Sasuke poured more sake into her saucer. The two broke apart when Naruto climbed back into the chair between them. In fascination, they watched as he sucked down another bottle.

They had been attacked by a group of thieves, and had been ruthless in punishing each one of them.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata had used mostly taijutsu to fight; with each strike, smashing noses, breaking limbs, and tearing skin. It had been such a gay affair! Naruto had faltered only once, having caught his fist between some poor man's teeth.

When the beatings had concluded, and the evening had become night, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata had stripped their victims of food, water, and money. And being thieves, they'd had _lots _of money. It was then that Naruto casually mentioned, "We have an extra day, right?"

Which brought them to the small village, and its lovely little bar.

It was small, dark, and dank place, with surprisingly few patrons littering the seats. The ones who did were silent, wary, and brooding.

Hinata didn't mind. The King of them all was sitting across from her, but she could handle Sasuke. The greatest of her worries was the ceiling fan above her, that was spinning, spinning out of control! She followed the blades with her eyes until she was overcome with dizziness.

It had taken a while for Naruto to convince Sasuke, and then them, in turn, to convince Hinata. Sasuke didn't like to dull his senses, but then at the last minute decided that going to the bar might be a good idea. Hinata, meanwhile, had always been forbidden. Though, at seventeen, they were all of legal drinking age in Konoha, drinking alcohol was frowned upon in her family.

Her hand connected with Sasuke's as they reached for the same bottle. The contact lasted for a few seconds longer than it should have, before Sasuke relinquished it, and Hinata timidly refilled her saucer. Why couldn't she seem to stop smiling?

And why was Sasuke smirking back?

"Hinata-chan," he said, causing her to blink, then redden. "Can I touch them now?"

When Hinata again shook her head, _no_, Sasuke ordered another bottle.

Hinata looked down at her breasts. "They're really big..." she mused, thoughtfully squeezing them together. At the sound of a "thump" and a "smash," she looked up to notice Naruto's face had gone missing, replaced with tan ankles poking up toward the heavens. Sasuke, meanwhile, was clutching his face with both hands, looking as though someone had just punched him in the nose.

"Sa-Sasuke? Naruto-kun!" said Hinata worriedly.

Naruto quickly climbed back up from the ground with his pointer finger held beneath his nostrils. A blush on his cheeks and his voice strangely high, he assured Hinata that he and Sasuke were fine. The Uchiha merely nodded in agreement, still clutching his face. He freed one of his hands to brush his knuckles against her cheek.

She lazily smiled.

"You're dumb when you're drunk."

Her smile fell. _I'm drunk!?_

Naruto watched the exchange curiously. His numb mind attempted to make something of it, but a drunken haze overwhelmed all rational thought, leaving only confusion. Somehow two syllables managed to spill from his mouth. "You're – you're–" Sasuke and Hinata turned to him. Had he figured it out?

Luckily, the jinchuuriki suddenly took notice of some sake that he had spilled on his lap earlier that evening. "Eugh, I think that I had an accident..." he moaned as his already pink cheeks darkened in color.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust, leaning back in his seat. It seemed he was the only one among the trio who had any alcohol tolerance whatsoever. And as entertaining as this was… "We should go." He leered at Hinata.

He somehow led the two to a small hotel. Hinata, who had only had two _tiny_ saucers, was latched to him, arms about his torso, her head under his chin. Naruto, meanwhile, had drank the most of the three, and stumbled drunkenly behind them, shrieking obscenities, and falling over several times.

Sasuke ignored the various curse words flying out of the Naruto's mouth, though he was secretly astonished by the blonde's vocabulary. Upon reaching the crappy, closet-sized hotel room he had purchased with Naruto's share of the swag, Sasuke kicked him inside and closed the door.

Far more politely, he led Hinata upstairs, to the nicer room he had purchased with their combined shares, smirking as she mumbled faint confessions into his clothes.

He scooped her up bridal style, causing a giggle to escape her lips. She leaned over, kissing his ear, and causing his pants to feel several sizes too small.

When they got to the room, he dropped her to the bed, and climbed on top of her. She grabbed his shirt.

Hinata was drunk. Helpless.

She pulled him down, and the things that followed would plague them both for weeks to come.


	20. Dysfunction

**Author's Note: **Does anyone know my first name? That would be totally awesome. O.O

Anywayz, when I first wrote this story, as "A Light in Darkness," I claimed it "had no plot," which wasn't true. The plotline is "this is a development-based romance story, so deal wit it." The subplot is, "oh, and there's a curse."

So I was joking about the bashing thing. Whether or not Sakura deserves blame or anger directed towards her is based on opinion. To me, she doesn't, but maybe other people might not see it that way. I don't think there's really a "right" or "wrong" to this disagreement. I just see no strategic advantage to putting Sasuke at conflict with Sakura.

Like a said, stealing the title of clan head versus having Hinata driven to incurable madness are very different things for Hanabi. So I wouldn't say she's "good" or "evil." Has she changed since I introduced her in chapter 1? No. I myself never really thought of her ambitions as bad, for a thirteen year old. I see her as sneaky, stubborn, and maybe a little immature. I did get into Hanabi more in "Light."

You also have to consider the value of the title of "clan head" before we deem Hanabi a horrible person. What does it mean to Hinata? What does it mean to Hanabi? What does Hanabi think it means to Hinata? What does it mean to Winkle? I think we all have different interpretations of the value of this title.

One of the guest reviewers inspired my idea for this chapter. O.o

Anyway, thank you for all the amazing reviews (and keep 'em coming)!

* * *

The two had become a tangle of limbs, kissing, touching, and whispering soft promises. They pulled off each other's clothing, his shirt, her pants, then there was more kissing, giggling, fondling…and then a pause.

"Why isn't it…working?" said Hinata.

So maybe he was a little drunk himself.

Sasuke pulled away, sitting on the bed beside her, and feeling, for the first time, mortified.

"Sasu?" she sat up as well, drunk, disheveled, and beautiful.

"I can't…" he trailed off.

Hinata blinked, and for a moment, both blankly stared at his lap.

"I'm leaving."

"Sasuke-"

The door slammed shut behind him.

* * *

Sometimes they forgot they were teenagers, still learning about each other, themselves, and…their bodies.

Sasuke went back to Naruto's hotel room, stepping over the blonde, who was lying face-down on the floor. He climbed into the small bed there, and reclined, staring at the ceiling. The room gently spun around him. That night, Sasuke didn't get any sleep at all.

Instead, he mused about what had happened with Hinata…wondered if it wasn't just the drink that was at fault for his inability to…function. Or was there something more. _Guilt?_

He had been amazed by how forward Hinata had been in her inebriation. Her guard had been lowered in lieu of playfulness and sexuality. It was as though a few drinks had erased all her insecurities, leaving behind someone who was mischievous, and willing, and who just…wasn't her.

Beyond the contact, the heat, and their ragged breathing, he had stared down at her, watching as she smiled and waited.

She moved when he moved, and reacted to his every touch. When he kissed her, she kissed back, and when he asked her what she was feeling, she twisted her fingers through his hair as told him there was no way she could ever put it in words.

But Hinata had been his puppet. Because when he paused to gaze down into her eyes, she watched him, wondering what he was going to do next.

Sasuke shifted his gaze to the window as the first beams of daylight began to permeate the room. His eyes then moved to Naruto, just as he arose, as though with the sun. The two gave each other cagey looks, before Naruto covered his mouth and ran into the bathroom.

* * *

Hinata awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window. She shielded her eyes with her arm. Where was all the light coming from? And why was her head pounding?

She pulled the comforter over her head before opening her eyes, after which she realized it was neither her comforter nor her bed. Her breath caught in her throat as images of the previous night flashed through her mind.

The bar, the drinks, the hotel, Sasuke carrying her to the room – dropping her onto the mattress–

Hinata sat bolt upright, frantically ripping off the sheets. Seeing that she was just in her bra and panties, she drew up her knees and held her head, struggling to remember what had transpired after they got to the room.

She remembered the touching, the kissing, them pulling off each other's clothes. She remembered them pausing, and then….

Sasuke hadn't been able to maintain his erection. He had gotten upset, and left.

Hinata reddened, not knowing whether to be relieved, embarrassed, offended, or infuriated. "T-teme…" she growled, dropping back to the bed and stuffing her face in a pillow.

* * *

Awkwardness awaited the group by departure time.

All three wore ill looks. Hinata was donning a pair of shades Shino had given her, and Sasuke's eyes were red-rimmed. Being doujutsu users apparently afforded them terrible hangovers.

Like the others, Naruto had shadows under his eyes. One side of his face was covered in rug-burn, and the other, rather green-looking. He gave his teammates a shaky smile, before giving up on pleasantries, and running off to hurl.

When the group left (some minutes later, when Naruto returned), Sasuke and Hinata did not meet eyes once. The squad returned to the dirt road to the Wind Country, and the walk was extraordinarily silent, but not one of them found the will to break it.

That afternoon, Hinata snuck a glance at Sasuke. She saw hints of frustration infecting his apathy.

Though she hated him at that moment – wanted to _jyuuken _him _right in the stomach _– she could barely challenge the irrational loyalty that remained. The fact that she loved him._ I don't want to lose you again._

But Sasuke had tried to take advantage of her. Maybe it wasn't a healthy relationship after all.

The three set up camp in the forest that night, confident that they would reach their destination some time the next morning. When their tent was risen, and fire extinguished, one by one, the Konoha shinobi dropped themselves to their mats.

Oddly enough, no one was sleeping.

After some hours spent tossing and turning, Naruto opened his eyes to notice he was alone in the tent. He sat up, yawning, and wondered where Sasuke and Hinata had gone. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if they had gotten back together, but then dismissed the concept. Sasuke was too much of an asshat. Hinata was too insecure. There was _no way _they could have made up.

His curiosity urging him up (that, and his need to relieve himself), Naruto crawled out of the tent and wandered about the woods for a while, the light of the moon his only guide. He tiredly called out the names of his comrades, his half-lidded eyes drooping and drooping. Occasionally, he would trip over a rock or walk into a tree, until what had to be at least an hour had passed, and Naruto grew tired of the abuse (though self-inflicted it was). Relinquishing his search, he threw himself onto the ground, recumbent and carcass-looking. Mumbling indecipherably to himself, he began to drift off.

"Block!" Sasuke snapped.

Ear twitching in recognition, Naruto opened his eyes. He climbed up to all fours and crawled in the direction Sasuke's remark had come from. As he moved, he listened to the new sounds, grunts and gasps. His ears brought him to a small clearing.

"And don't hesitate," mentioned Sasuke, before abruptly ducking. "Better."

Sasuke and Hinata were sparring. He could barely see them through the darkness, but they seemed to read each other perfectly.

Hinata was struggling to keep up with Sasuke, twisting and dancing around his attacks. Naruto was impressed that she managed to hold her own.

The Uchiha's dark clothing made him harder to spot. His strikes were sharp, but slightly slow for him; Sasuke was known for his speed. His arms darted in and out of Hinata's range, and occasionally he seemed to leave himself unguarded, just to see what she would do.

Naruto silently found a tree to slump down against, surprised that he hadn't been spotted. They must not have been using their doujutsu. _So they're still getting along… _Naruto mused, closing his eyes. He bowed his head and finally achieved unconsciousness, dropping to his side a few moments later, where he dreamt sweet dreams about Haruno Sakura. He ironically missed the things that transpired next.

Sasuke had Hinata pinned to a tree by her throat. For a moment, they gave each other searing looks, before Sasuke released her, and withdrew somewhat, looking away.

Hinata re-assumed her fighting stance, but it trembled, and she lowered it. Both were avoiding the issue at hand. "You t-tried to take advantage of me!" she said.

"I was drunk."

She watched him suspiciously. "Well a-at least it didn't work." Hinata winced at her wording.

"It was on and off," said Sasuke shadily, and she became aware that he was talking about his penis.

Hinata felt heat rise to her face. "Y-you can't hold your liquor!" she accused, more to damage him than anything else. She was still furious about the night before.

"You should have helped," Sasuke retorted.

If she hadn't been blushing before, her face was bright red by then. Hinata stumbled back, sputtered, and nearly fell down.

"Let's finish this spar," said Sasuke, ignoring her bafflement. Hinata didn't understand it. _She _was the one who should have been angry. She narrowly avoided a blow aimed for her head.

"Now dodge," hissed Sasuke, sending a kick Hinata's way. She just managed to comply, bending backwards to avoid it.

She disappeared and rematerialized behind Sasuke, but she was still too preoccupied to be efficient. He caught her attack, and slammed her into a tree, knocking the air out of her lungs.

She didn't like this atmosphere of tension surrounding them. It made her think things would go back to the way they had been when they had broken up. She had thought that training with him would help mend things, but it seemed to be doing the reverse. _Why is Sasuke so upset with me? Because he thinks I'm too – submissive? _

As Hinata sunk down the tree, Sasuke's stance quickly fell. He knelt down before her and reached out, as though to touch her, but then hesitated, and pulled back. "Tell me what hurts," he said firmly.

_**This**__ hurts._

"Hinata."

He was so blatantly caring, even if he tried to be discreet about it. She desperately wanted to kiss him, but her body refused to humor this instinct. "A-Are we breaking up again?"

"What?"

"C-can you kiss me?" she entreated, squeezing her eyes closed. Through her mind's eye, she could imagine Sasuke's expression. His eyebrows would have shot up by then, and in a moment he would suggest that they both just went back to sleep.

But only silence followed.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes to see that Sasuke was staring at her, but then he looked away. When that moment turned into minutes, and the air grew so tense Hinata was sure she was going to break down, she whispered a simple, "Sorry," and attempted to climb to her feet.

Sasuke held her down by her shoulders. "Where?"

_Where? _She reddened.

He was still looking away, his demeanor as impassive as ever. "Where do you want me to kiss you?"

Hinata blushed, but she understood. He wanted to know how far he was allowed to go in their intimacy. "Anywhere above my…" She held her arm across her chest, her blush worsening. She reached out, taking his hand, and entwining their fingers. "I love it when you touch me."

Sasuke finally looked her way.

"So...can you?" she asked meekly.

With his free hand, Sasuke pulled some strands of hair away from her face, and leaned forward. Hinata closed her eyes, just before she felt Sasuke's lips brush against her cheek for a mere instant. Opening them again, she felt her heart sink at realizing the kiss was over. Sasuke didn't even want to touch her anymore. She struggled to restore normalcy. "Where can I kiss _you_?" She sniffed.

His fingers trailed from her face to her lips. "Anywhere you like, crybaby."

She launched herself at him, and suddenly Sasuke was on the grass, being attacked with kisses. She kissed his lips, his jaw, even his throat, feeling his adam's apple rise then fall, and kissed it some more. Inebriated from the intimacy, Hinata returned to his lips, just as Sasuke leaned up, causing her to sink against his hips. He held her face and kissed her carefully, slowing her down, but only making her heart beat faster. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they lowered to the grass again, Sasuke putting up little fight as she kissed him to her contentment. He did little to contribute but curve to her whim. They became a small heap on the ground, gently touching and kissing.

When she pulled back, and was straddling him, Hinata observed the slight, amused quirk of Sasuke's lips. Her fingers touched him experimentally, dancing across his lower abdomen, when he suddenly took a sharp breath, his hands instinctively going to her hips.

Hinata wasn't sure if she had done something wrong. "Am I being helpful?" she whispered, embarrassment challenging her euphoria. Her eyes flickered away, but then met his again.

"Extremely," Sasuke responded, and it was only then that she noticed how uncomfortable he looked.


	21. Hinata's Mattress

**Author's Note:**

I probably know as much about "the curse" as you do.

I'm sorry, I don't write lemons. But I think I write decent lime. Some of my limes get kind of lemony. People have been known to mistake my limes for lemons, but they're not lemons, they're just limes, I think.

I'm sorry a lot of you feel the chapters are too short, but I've been updating rather frequently, so you're probably getting a lot more in a month than you might get from long-chapter authors.

Anyway, I'm done with the next few chapters. In fact, I'm already working on the sequel to this story. O.O I'm not gonna lie, I respond well to reviews. -wink, wink-

* * *

He was hiding under the covers as usual. Maybe he was afraid of ghosts...

She took a deep breath, and whispered, "If you're...cold, we can...ano..." Naruto, after all, had disappeared.

There was a short pause, before Sasuke's muffled voice responded, "So you want to fondle me some more?"

Hinata felt her face burn. On the verge of crawling off to join Naruto in the wilderness, she saw Sasuke raise his sheets. She hesitated, then joined him beneath them, smiling as he lightly bit her nose and mentioned her pajamas weren't sexy enough.

* * *

Naruto trudged through the village of Sand, Sasuke and Hinata trailing after him, acting as nonchalantly as usual. Naruto twitched. He _knew _the previous night couldn't have been a dream, as he had awoken in the woods surrounded by foxes and saturated in deer urine. In fact, a friendly bear had attempted to drag him into its cave.

Naruto glanced back at the two, who barely made eye contact, and if that, only to exchange wary looks. They seemed to have gotten along fine training together the previous night. _Are they or aren't they back together? _Naruto wondered irritably. "We made it just in time," he said with feigned cheerfulness. Suna was far more peaceful than it had been during his last visit. No Akatsuki, no assassinations, no devastated fan girls sobbing into his chest...

And the Suna girls were _extremely attractive_. Naruto chuckled and waved as the women murmured over the two Konoha males. They made tigers gestures at Naruto and talked about what Sasuke could do with his sword. The girls were dressed scantily in the desert heat, their sun-kissed skin gleaming under the dawn.

Hinata looked at the ground, her cheek twitching. Even despite her irritation, she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why Sasuke would choose _her _over _girls like_ _them._

In a matter of moments they reached their destination and were outside the Kazekage's office waiting for clearance to enter. A couple of guards stood along the corridor, and the occasional elder strolled by. The floors throughout the tower were of beautiful white marble stone, and the ceilings rose thirty feet above them. A few fans hung down from thin cords, sending a soft breeze toward the lingering Leaf shinobi.

"Geez, you'd think they'd never seen a cock before," Naruto mentioned as he pulled the package out of his backpack. At the sight of Sasuke and Hinata's deadpan expressions, he decided to shut his mouth.

The office door swung open, and Sasuke waited for Naruto to enter first. Hinata began to follow the blonde, when Sasuke grabbed her arm and pulled her back, mid-step.

Her back hit his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, his eyes drifting closed unbidden by him as he deeply inhaled the scent of her hair. "You're prettier than they are," he said blatantly. "I love you."

When Sasuke released her, he realized he had not chosen the best time to be nice. Hinata swooned.

Ignoring as the guards eyed them, Sasuke grabbed Hinata's arm and half-guided, half-dragged her into the office.

The office was almost identical to the Hokage's, with the same marble flooring that had been in the corridor. Behind the Kazekage's desk lounged Kankuro, feet on the table, picking his teeth, and looking even more out of place than redhead who was gazing through a window beside the desk. No one would ever admit it, but Suna was being run by teenagers. Gaara turned away from the window and allowed his stony eyes to sweep over his company. Sasuke released Hinata's arm, but continued to watch her from the corner of his eye. His gaze shifted to the girl beside Gaara.

"S-Sakura-chan!?" Naruto stammered.

The pink-haired girl gave him a smile. "Naruto," she said, as he closed in on her in an embrace, even lifting her up and spinning her around.

Gaara simply watched. Suna's Kage was everything he was said to be in the Sand and Leaf. Cold and frightening; handsome and exotic. His blood red hair hung in aqua eyes that were both dull and penetrating. The black rings around them, frightening and alluring.

Sakura pulled away from Naruto, returning his grin with one of her own. She seemed healthier than she had looked in a while. "Tsunade-sama sent me a day after you left. I'm surprised I got here first."

To this, Naruto blushed, but decided not to comment. He doubted Sakura wanted to hear about their drunken delay. Instead he said, "But why? I mean – _we _have the package."

At the mention of it, Naruto glancing down at the brown parcel in his hands, and delivered it to Kankuro, seeming to momentarily forget that Gaara was Kage.

Watching him suspiciously, Kankuro snatched the box, and stared intently down at it, his fingers trembling in anticipation. He inspected it closely for several moments, prodding it here and there, before throwing a nod to Gaara, who sauntered over.

"Just open it, dammit!" Naruto snapped. The curiosity was killing him.

Glaring at Naruto, Kankuro rose from his seat, watching as his younger brother replaced him there. Gaara took his turn to look over the package. Reaching into one of his desk drawers, he withdrew a letter opener, which he slid down the length of the brown paper covering. Beneath it was a white box, which Gaara carefully opened, to reveal–

Nothing! It was empty!

"Hn," said Gaara, as Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata cringed, unable to believe that they had travelled five days to deliver an empty box to the Kazekage. Just as they began to wonder which of them Gaara would throw the letter opener at, Kankuro chuckled.

"Very well. The guards will take you to your rooms," said Gaara monotonously.

"Our rooms?" said Naruto in confusion.

As Gaara turned his attention to some paperwork on his desk, Sakura answered, "We're here to stand as Konoha representatives," she said, seeming intrigued by their confusion.

"I see you brought your dates." Kankuro smirked at Hinata in approval. "And not the Nara? Very good."

Sasuke's cheek twitched. "What are you talking about?" he said, with mechanical patience.

"Your Hokage didn't tell you? About tonight? It's my little brother's–"

It was then that Gaara stabbed his desk with the letter opener, suddenly looking psychotic. Kankuro released an awkward chuckle, but Sakura excitedly continued.

"A Kage's birthday is a big affair in this country. There will be representatives from nearly every other ninja village – and cake!"

Her comrades stared at her, dumbstruck.

_Birthday?_ wondered Naruto.

_Party? _thought Hinata.

_**This **__was the mission? _Sasuke scowled.

"Leave. Now," said Gaara. The Kage took a deep breath, before looking up from his desk. "Wait..." he said slowly. "The women. You stay."

Naruto glanced uncertainly from the smiling Sakura, the sweating Hinata, the smirking Kankuro, the twitching Sasuke, and finally to Gaara, who had begun to nonchalantly remove his clothes. "Er..."

* * *

Sakura's fist collided with Naruto's head. "We weren't doing him sexual favors!" she spat.

Naruto groaned as he rubbed his abused skull. "But...I thought – since he's Kage…"

"He just wanted us to check some fractured ribs. With Shukaku gone, he's a lot more vulnerable to injury."

Naruto released an awkward chuckle. "I knew that," he lied.

Sasuke simply eyed Hinata, who was smiling at the bickering pair.

The four had taken refuge in Hinata's room, hiding from foreign shinobi who were eager to challenge the three that were being called "the new sannin."

As Naruto sunk to the floor, still clutching his skull, Sakura stood over him, not noticing as the blonde looked up her skirt.

Sasuke drifted to the bed, and dropped to it, admiring how comfortable Hinata's mattress was. He secretly wondered if they would be able to test it out later.

Hinata took a seat on the foot of the bed by his feet, feeling out of place with team seven. Sakura had mentioned that Tsunade had sent a number of nin in addition to them to represent Konoha. She wondered if Kiba and Shino were among them, and wanted to ask, but Naruto and Sakura were still talking.

"So far I've seen ninja of the Grass, the Cloud, and the Waterfall villages..." Sakura mused.

Naruto playfully smirked. "I can take them on," he said, earning himself another hit in the head.

"We're not here to fight!" Sakura yelled, horribly contradicting herself as she began to stomp him to death.

"Stop hitting him," Sasuke groused.

Three pairs of eyes turned to the Uchiha as he sat up.

"Oh?" said Sakura, twirling around, and causing Naruto a minor nosebleed.

"Isn't his brain damaged enough as it is?" said Sasuke, knowing not why he was defending Naruto, just that ever since he and Hinata had gotten back together, he was a little more reluctant to abuse him.

"Oh, Sasu-chan, you _do _care!" Naruto cried.

The corner of Hinata's mouth curled upwards. Sasu…was a really cute nickname. She froze when a streak of pink and blonde flew past her.

Naruto was suddenly straddling Sasuke and pinning his arms to the mattress, while Sakura had her arms wrapped around Naruto's torso, trying to pull him off. Sasuke glared heatedly at the two, eyes flashing dangerously, and Hinata panicked. _What's going on?_

Naruto clarified. "C'mon Sasuke, give me a kiss. You know you want to."

Hinata reddened.

"No Sasuke, don't kiss him – kiss me!" said Sakura, causing Hinata to gasp.

Hinata took a few deep breaths, confused about the tic that had developed beneath her eye. She made a mental note to see Tsunade when she got back to Konoha; all this twitching couldn't be healthy.

"C'mon Uchiha, you have to kiss one of us!"

She had never seen the three of them so off-guard. They were practically–

"Kiss me!"

–siblings.

"Me!"

_"Me!"_

"MEEE!"

Hinata silently promised not to come between them again. "Can I kiss him?" she asked.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura blinked. After a moment, the Uchiha lightly smirked.

Hinata stood up and approached the head of the bed. She leaned down to Sasuke, and the two shared a single, chaste kiss. Afterwards, they simply stared at one another, before Hinata looked back up to meet the gawking faces of Naruto and Sakura.

She blushed. "Problem solved."


	22. Gaara's Party

**Author's Note:**

I kind of just wanted to copy and paste the "Kankuro's Party" chapter from Boys and Girls.

_On the stereo Kankuro was playing a CD of Barry Manilow's greatest hits, the song Copacabana echoing throughout the otherwise quiet...extremely quiet...room._

_"...What are we doing here?" Naruto whispered to Lee, staring, entranced, as Kankuro and Karasu did a little jig on the other side of the room. All of the other guests were completely frozen in place, except for the mummy, who had keeled over dead._

I didn't have time to make any individual review replies, but thank you for all your thoughtful feedback. To answer some questions, I think the sequel "Light" is longer, but it's also incomplete, and I'm not sure if I'll have time to complete it. Since it's better written than this one was, I'm not sure if what I'm doing to it qualifies as a "re-write," but I'm changing a lot of things around and I've added a few scenes so far.

As for the original, I may just post a few chapters on devArt so you can compare and contrast my writing then and now. It would also be cool to have a place where I could explain the things that I changed. For example, Sasuke did _not _suffer from…drunken dysfunction…in the original. So I'll let you know when I get to that.

I'm sorry to hear I've deprived some of you of sleep. :D If it's any consolation, this story has deprived me of sleep too. I'm having a lot of fun working on it. :P

As a reward for your awesome feedback, I'm updating super-early. Thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming. -wink, wink, wink, wink, wink-

* * *

"What's going on between you and Hinata?"

Evening had fallen in Suna, and the four had retreated to their respective guest rooms. Well...that had been until Naruto had bombarded Sasuke, demanding that his friend teach him how to put his kimono on.

Following many slaps, many "pervert!"s, and a few accusations that Sasuke as trying to molest him, the two had somehow managed to get dressed in the formal wear that had been sent to their rooms.

Sasuke wore a full-length onyx kimono with matching hakama pants and haori. He hadn't brought a forehead protector, but there was a small Uchiha fan on the bottom of his sleeve to specify his nationality. Sasuke was surprised that Konoha would want people like _him and Naruto_ representing the village. Yes, they were strong, but their pasts were streaked with stains.

Naruto was wearing a navy kimono, with dark gray hakama. Over it was a matching navy haori, and the clothing was so _not _him that the blonde had felt it completely necessary to paint his finger and toenails orange. Naruto had taken off his Konoha hitai-ate for a bit of discretion, which allowed his hair to hang attractively in his eyes.

Standing on either side of Sasuke's exterior doorframe, Sasuke was silent, his eyes closed, and arms folded over his chest, while Naruto was partially slumped against the wall, and seemed to be slowly sinking towards the ground. In their positions, they looked as though they had been on guard duty for the past several hours, when in actuality, they were simply stalling, because secretly...neither could dance.

Naruto pouted at his friend. "C'mon, teme, _tell me_. Since the start of the mission, you've been completely zoned out."

"Zoned...out?" Sasuke opened his eyes.

Naruto's shrugged. "I heard Sakura-chan say it. Ano...like you're dreaming while you're awake."

So it was a fancy way of saying "preoccupied." Sasuke clenched his jaw, but he wasn't going to deny what was true. "If you're still bitching about that toad-"

"What's going on between you and Hinata?" Naruto repeated.

Sasuke didn't know why he was continuing to hide the depth of his and Hinata's relationship from his teammates. It just felt too – singular – to be exposed to Naruto, Sakura, or anyone else.

"I saw you in the woods together."

Sasuke's eyes widened at this.

"You're still training with her, ne?"

Realizing Naruto's ignorance, Sasuke played along. "I decided to continue helping her with taijutsu. So we're still – _friends?_"

The way he absently questioned the word "friends," as if he was just as confused as Naruto was on the matter. It almost sounded believable.

"But you kissed!"

"Friends can kiss. You and I do it all the time," Sasuke countered humorlessly. He was getting annoyed. "Why are you so interested in Hinata?" And with that, he destroyed what credibility he had built throughout the conversation.

Naruto smiled sadly. "You're up to something." It was true. "You seem happy. _I'm _happy."

"Shut up, dobe," said Sasuke, grabbing him by the scuff, and shoving him off towards the party.

* * *

It was an hour before the party when Sakura ambushed Hinata. The pink-haired kunoichi grabbed the heiress and shoved her into her own closet, before stripping her down and doing other...horrible...things? By the end of the traumatizing ordeal, both were dressed and made up. It was then that Sakura sat down on the bed, patting the spot beside her. She stated that she and Hinata needed to "talk."

About Sasuke.

They needed to talk about Sasuke.

"How are you two doing?" Sakura asked when both were sitting down.

"Ano…" Hinata scratched her cheek. She had never spoken to anyone about her relationship before, and found herself suddenly full of nerves. "R-really good," she managed, blushing and staring at her knees.

"That's sweet," said Sakura. Hinata weakly nodded. "You know…Sasuke doesn't like sweets."

Hinata looked up at her. Sakura's expression was solemn.

"And...sushi makes him nauseous," Sakura continued, a small smile crossing her face.

"Sakura..." said Hinata, beginning to feel overwhelmed. What the other kunoichi was telling her – it was to support her in her relationship with Sasuke. Hinata felt so touched, she could cry.

Sakura clasped Hinata's hands in hers. "He's allergic to pie."

This caused Hinata to blink. "Wh-what kind of pie?" she stammered.

"Just pie," said Sakura, as if this made all the sense in the world.

"Cherry pie? Apple pie?"

Sakura ignored Hinata as she continued, "He doesn't generally like animals, but he sort of likes monkeys."

Ok...that was...sensible...right?

"To eat."

"Oh!"

"And one of his favorite foods is raw putterfish."

"But you said he didn't like sushi!"

"It's an exception, dammit!"

"O-okay!"

"And never put milk in his tea – ever. He will totally **freak out**."

Hinata was baffled. She tried to make sense of the things Sakura was saying, but her efforts proved to be futile.

"The smell of pickle juice causes him to pass out. I don't know why, it just does."

After Sakura had finished with her extremely long list of Sasuke's "quirks," Hinata wandered off, feeling disturbed. Smirking, Sakura followed. She wasn't quite over Hinata's flub during their last mission together in the Fire Country.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke were late.

The two stood outside two broad oak double doors that would lead them to Gaara's eighteenth birthday party, assuming they ever went inside.

Naruto suddenly released a strange, hysterical giggle, and Sasuke resisted the urge to slap him. _Do we have to enter with escorts? _he wondered, just as one made her appearance.

"Would one of you mind taking me inside?"

Naruto and Sasuke glanced behind them to spot a beautiful woman, having to blink a few times to recognize her as Temari.

Her hair was tied into an elegant knot, two onyx senbon holding it together. She was dressed in an azure kimono, one that was rather..._unconventional_. The collar was spread apart and hung off her shoulders, revealing a considerable amount of cleavage above the navy obi encircling her waist. A small, upside down triangle was painted on her chest, drawing eyes toward it, and it worked. The long slits of her skirt went all the way up her bare hips.

Temari smirked as the boys ogled her. "Uchiha?"

"I refuse," said Sasuke, looking away, as Naruto trembled in a silent battle for self-control.

He lost. "Sure." He threw Temari a fox-grin. "Don't tell Shikamaru about this," Naruto joked, as he linked arms with the Sand nin and escorted her inside. As the two entered the double doors, Sasuke was hit with a blast of unpleasant desert music, which really just sounded like an ensemble of dying animals. He caught a glimpse of Ino, wearing little to nothing, and dancing provocatively with Kankuro on the otherwise empty dance floor. He also caught a glimpse of Gaara, who was drowning in a mob of bitching old people and carnivorous fangirls. The redhead took a gulp of sake before the doors closed again behind Naruto and Temari.

Sasuke shuddered. He heard the sound of more clicking footsteps, but didn't bother to turn around, instead wondering if it would be so bad if he got drunk again, when a voice spoke behind him, "Sasuke? Where's Naruto?"

"With Temari," he carelessly responded, finally turning to notice Sakura.

His teammate was dressed in a blood red kimono, the sleeves so long they brushed her ankles. The kimono darkened in color as it reached her feet, a touch of black bleeding into the red beneath a diagonal strip across the bottom of the skirt and the right sleeve. Upon it were threaded outlines of red and white cherry blossoms. A black obi was around her waist, decorated with matching outlines of flowers, and tied into a butterfly bow behind her back. Her side bangs were left hanging loose while the rest of her hair was twisted back in a bun, a small silver butterfly comb securing it in place. Her lips were red and glossy, as were her finger and toenails. Silver chandelier earrings hung from her ears, a silver necklace from her neck, and a silver charm bracelet around her wrist. Sakura held a silk black shawl around her shoulders, her geta sandals shyly shuffling as Sasuke absorbed her appearance. With her combined looks and charm she was sure to be the life of the party, as well as the eye-fuck of every man there.

"With Temari?" Sakura muttered, a frown crossing her face. She glanced at Hinata, who Sasuke suddenly noticed to be hiding behind her. "Will you stop that?" Sakura rolled her emerald eyes. "She wanted to wear a _haori _over her kimono."

"And you didn't let her?" said Sasuke indifferently.

Sakura huffed. "Just look at her!" She effortlessly grabbed Hinata and pushed her toward Sasuke.

The Uchiha stared.

Hinata was wearing a silk white kimono, the bottom edges of the skirt and sleeves decorated with large lilac flowers. Her sleeves were shorter than Sakura's, but reached her knees. The curve of her bosom was more than evident over the indigo obi around her waist; it was tied at the small of her back, looking very much like a large ribbon in Sasuke's eyes. A small encircled flame at the bottom of her left sleeve declared her nationality, as Sasuke's Uchiha fan did. Her hair was down, the top half tied in a ponytail to fall with the rest, bangs left free to hang in her face. Hinata adorned white golden hoop earrings that were shaped like small curled leaves, with a matching choker around her throat, the leaves resting against her collarbone. Sasuke couldn't see the matching anklet, but maybe he would find it later. Her lips were shining pink, ghost white eyes staring up at him, and Sasuke could not help staring back.

As Hinata stumbled forward from the force of Sakura's shove, Sasuke caught her in his arms, holding her against his chest, where she refused to move.

"Maybe I should have let her wear the zori sandals after all..." said Sakura, throwing Sasuke an amused look.

Hinata looked up from Sasuke's clothes. "I c-can walk in geta, it's just– " She trailed off at noticing how handsome he looked in his kimono. She decided to forgive his picky eating habits as she shy accepted his proffered arm. Sakura joined them, taking his other.

"It looks like you're escorting both of us inside," she said as they pushed through the double doors.

* * *

Gaara truly _couldn't_ recall dressing himself before the party. He tentatively reached for his ear and touched one of the small black hoop earrings that some bastard had _pierced_ him with while he was not conscious (he was starting to miss Shukaku). The hours preceding the party were all a haze to him – someone must have drugged his afternoon coffee. Gaara's eyes focused on Kankuro, who was grinding on the Yamanaka girl on the dance floor as some uncoordinated elders wobbled about around them. Temari was dry-humping some fat blonde guy in a corner. How had his siblings managed to get drunk so quickly!? And as usual, they had sought out the nearest available blondes.

Though his eyes shifted to his table, Gaara was _not _interested in sitting down. The drinks were passing far too swiftly there, and he could barely control himself as it was. He glanced down into his saucer, becoming frustrated as a fangirl refilled it with sake, and had little choice but to gulp it down.

Gaara was dressed in a rust colored kimono and haori, as well as dark gray hakama pants. He didn't know how to walk in geta, so saw it best to stand completely still. And this did little to repel _the followers._

"You're eighteen now you know. Have some fun." Gaara thought it was a fangirl who squeezed his ass, but his eyes met with a woman who looked so decrepit, he nearly regurgitated the acorns he had eaten for lunch.

"Pursue a _girl,_" the elder continued.

At hearing this, the bumbling girls around them began to press more closely against Gaara's body.

"The Konoha women are cute. And I hear they're _strong_," the elder added, despite that her decomposing nose threatened to fall off at any moment. Tipsy as he was, Gaara could barely handle the sight of her, so redirected his gaze to his fangirls, who were all in a tizzy.

"Hyuuga slut," one growled.

"Pink-haired bitch," said another.

The Kage again looked at his table, where The Hyuuga heir seemed to be engaged in a staring contest with the Uchiha. Tsunade's apprentice was babbling to Baki...whose pupils were dilated. Gaara didn't doubt he had helped himself to some of that bad coffee as well.

_Why all this over me? _Gaara wondered. What kind of sick bastards would want to celebrate the day of his birth? He twitched as a fangirl licked his cheek. "I don't like women," he said, which brought with it a collection of exaggerated gasps. One fangirl fainted. Another sobbed hysterically into his pants.

Ignoring them, Gaara continued to stare at his table and watch as a series of interesting events unfolded. _I don't like guys either._

* * *

They were seated at Gaara's table, not that the Kage was present at the moment. He was busy drowning in followers.

Kankuro and Ino tipsily arrived to the table together. Ino was in the middle of telling Kankuro a story about when she had locked Shikamaru out of her flower shop dressed only in her clothing. _Why_ the Nara had crammed his naked body into Ino's ultra-mini-skirt was beyond Kankuro's intrigue.

Naruto arrived as well, looking somewhat disheveled from Temari's efforts to have her way with him. He took a seat, acting rather strange and quiet.

Sakura was attempting to engage Baki in a conversation about Suna's latest medical ninjutsu, but Baki was busy vacantly staring as he tried to imagine her naked.

Sasuke and Hinata merely watched each other. They really had nothing to discuss.

Every once in a while, a ninja from another village would stop by the table to introduce him or herself, but the group let Naruto do all of the talking, which would usually have the intruder shuffling away in no time.

Hinata noticed that Sasuke picked at everything on his plate except for the main course: lobster. The Uchiha didn't seem to mind when Naruto snatched the dead creature from his plate and began to use it as a puppet to amuse Ino.

Sasuke merely rested his face against his knuckles and grumbled something about death by starvation. He noticed Hinata's odd look, before explaining, "Naruto took it because he knows that I'm–" He trailed off to stare as Ino leaned in to kiss Naruto, who dropped everything, and scurried away.

It was an hour into the party that Sasuke and Hinata managed to sneak away from their company, taking retreat in a nice shadowy corner behind a big pink cake.

He had wanted to touch her all night long, so settled on wrapping his arms around her waist, feeling Hinata's encircle his neck. She rested her head against his shoulder, and they stood like that for a while, not moving, not dancing, just enjoying the warmth of the embrace.

He sighed in frustration when Hinata pulled back. She reached up to pull his bangs out of his eyes.

"You look…" Sasuke trailed off. "You know how you look." He leaned down, his nose brushing hers, and just before their lips could make contact-

"The sole Uchiha with the Hyuuga heir," someone said, and Sasuke looked up to see one of Suna's elders standing some feet away from them. "Don't you think this is a gamble for Konoha – for the future of the sharingan?"

With a sigh, Sasuke bowed his head to Hinata's shoulder. Why were people so audacious in public? A few seconds passed before he heard the elder walk away. Feeling too annoyed to raise his head, he felt Hinata's fingers twist through his hair. He imagined she was blushing at what the intruder had insinuated – that they would attempt to revive his clan together.

"Let's go," whispered Hinata.

Sasuke was surprised that she was the one to say it first, and was more than willing to comply. As they headed for the exit, many more people approached them in hopes of discussing Konoha's politics, but Sasuke and Hinata brushed them off, barely trying to be polite.

_We__'re not good ambassadors, _Sasuke realized, as he and Hinata ascended the stair case, her holding his hand, pulling him along. They got back to his room, where Sasuke impatiently played with a lamp on the dresser, filling the room with a dim white light. Neither cared to turn on another. Both knew why they were there.

Hinata closed their distance, wrapping her arms around his torso, but Sasuke did not return the embrace. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

"Un," she consented.

"I'd be touching you...in all the places you told me not to."

"It's okay," Hinata responded, closing her eyes as Sasuke rested his chin on her head, finally wrapping her in his arms.

"And your first time will probably hurt," he said softly.

"I know," Hinata said. "I want you to b-be the one t-to–" She wanted to give him her virginity. And she wanted to have his.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Hinata…"

She looked up at him. "A-are you n-nervous too?"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. "No."

She started to giggle, but Sasuke silenced her with a kiss, her eyes lowering in the bliss of that moment. Within seconds, however, Sasuke abruptly pulled away from her, his eyes questioning and brows furrowing.

It was then that he covered his mouth...and began to cough.


	23. Clock Bocked

**Author's Note:**

Well I'm looking at all the stuff I'm doing to "Light," and I'm going to have to declare it a re-write. I'm trying to maintain the humor better this time around, and make it less ploddy and awkward in general. I'm wondering, should I just call it "Hyuuga Curse 2"? I can't think of anything more creative than that.

Here's a random except:

"_I had a strange dream. I was trying to have my way with Hinata. Only, you were me, and I was…" Kakashi trailed off and stared dizzily up at the shady Uchiha. His eyes shifted to Hinata, who looked terribly embarrassed._

"_Just go back to sleep Kakashi," said Sasuke as he brought a pillow down on his sensei's face._

Back to this chapter. I hate how everyone knows what's going to happen next. Grr. :P

Raw putterfish is poisonous…kinda makes you wonder about Sakura… xD

Naruto freaked out when Ino tried to kiss him because he was still really traumatized about Temari dry-humping him earlier.

Can you count how many people get cock blocked in this chapter?

There are three chapters left after this one. Thank you so much for your feedback. Oh my, two updates in two days. O.O Keep the reviews coming –wink, wink, wink…– Do I really have to keep winking?

* * *

They had linked arms and marched about, voicing their agreement when told they would have strong children. Tsunade's famous apprentice arm-wrestled with a several ninja of the Grass, and Kyuubi's vessel laughed loudly (_quite _loudly) when each of them were overcome by the young girl, to their humiliation. They danced, and talked, and laughed throughout the latter part of the night, blubbering in denial each time the Kazekage eyed them and asked whether they were drunk.

Just how could they _not _be?

"No offense Gaara, but your party SUCKS!" screamed Naruto, only to realize he was no longer at the party and that Gaara was not present. He blushed in embarrassment.

Bringing the sake bottle to her lips, Sakura took another long swing, before lowering it and watching as Naruto shoved all "Gaara's crap" (paperwork, coffee mug, photo of self, teddy bear...) onto the ground before taking a seat atop the desk.

Giggling, Sakura joined him. "This stuff is good," she said, offering the bottle to Naruto.

The two had left the party early, fearful of Kankuro and Temari's increasingly aggressive advances. After aimlessly walking about the tower for an hour or so in search of their rooms, Naruto and Sakura had found the next best thing: Gaara's office.

Sakura heaved a sigh. "Naruto, I think I'm drunk," she mumbled.

"Yeah, me too." Sakura didn't mind as Naruto's arm wrapped around her shoulders, but only leaned into his hold. She didn't mind when he pecked her on the cheek either, _or _when he climbed on top of her, and began to wrench up her kimono.

Sakura's hands flew to Naruto's hakama. She grinned as his kisses traveled down her jaw to her neck. Only after she had managed to yank Naruto's pants down did she notice that Gaara had entered the room.

* * *

As far as Hinata would remember, the moment she kissed Sasuke, all hell had broken loose.

His free hand snapping to his throat as he continued to cough, Sasuke turned away from her before finding his backpack and frantically rummaging through it. In the process he threw several things out of it, including a book, a slipper, some tomatoes, and a scroll. Finally unearthing a syringe, Sasuke staggered into the bathroom, wheezing by then.

_What's he doing with a syringe!? _Hinata was clueless as to what was going on. She hurried after him, only for the door to slam shut in her face.

She listened as the sounds of him gasping for breath.

"Sasuke!" Hinata called, rattling the doorknob. "Are you okay?" Had she not been so discomposed, she would surely have figured it out. "Sa-Sasuke..." she repeated, her voice quavering.

The door finally opened and she embraced him, but he was too busy hacking to pay her any mind, one of his hands over his mouth, face flushed from effort. At least he wasn't wheezing anymore. She listened as his ragged breaths became increasingly fulfilling.

"What's wrong?" asked Hinata, staring tearfully up at him.

Between breaths and coughs Sasuke managed to say, "Wait," before pulling away from Hinata and walking past her and back into the room. Throwing off his haori, he struggled with his hakama, which Hinata quickly helped him to remove. When the rest of the kimono had been discarded, and he was wearing only a pair of boxers, Sasuke climbed into the bed and laid on his side, his back turned to her, and his coughing slowly subsiding.

Hinata sat on the bed beside him, patting his back, not knowing what else to do. He began to shiver violently, and she quickly pulled the covers over him. She waited until Sasuke had the energy to speak.

"I have…bad allergies. Food allergies." He said hoarsely, before coughing a few more times.

Hinata's eyes widened, something _clicking _in her mind. "Shellfish," she said, remembering what she had read in Sasuke's file back in chapter three. "So when I kissed you…"

He nodded.

"I'm s-so sorry," Hinata said. "Are you all b-better now?"

There was a pause. "I…" He inhaled. "I think I'm getting a rash."

"Sorry," Hinata repeated, leaning down and kissing his head, but Sasuke cringed, and she wanted to hit herself. She pressed her lips and went to the bathroom, rinsed her mouth out, and brushed her teeth so many times they started to hurt. She had almost killed Sasuke. Her hand trembled as she lowered the toothbrush, then she rinsed her mouth out a few more times, just for good measure. When she finally returned to the bedroom, Sasuke's shivering had worsened.

She stripped down to her bra and panties and climbed under the sheets with him, forcing him to accept her into his arms, and burying her face against his shoulder. She kissed the spot there as she felt his shivering subside. Sasuke didn't even seem to register her lack of clothes, he was too disordered.

"I won't eat shellfish anymore," she promised him.

"Hinata…"

"P-please Sasuke, just rest."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. One of his hands found her hip and resided there. "Rest with me," he muttered, as his eyes drifted closed.

* * *

Sakura was embarrassed. _Extremely_, embarrassed. What she had done – with Naruto – and in the Kazekage's office–

They hadn't had sex, but they had been damn close. Sakura was merely grateful that they had been interrupted.

Gulping down a disgusting home-made hangover remedy (not that she really ever got drunk except on birthdays, holidays, certain missions, days off, engagement parties, weddings, baby showers, tea parties, and so on) Sakura decided that she would have to apologize to Gaara personally, and assure him that her and Naruto's behavior had been a far cry from Konoha norms, in fact, it was shameful, disgraceful, and so obscene it should never be spoken of again - and certainly not to Tsunade.

And so, she had herself directed to Gaara's bedroom by the moaning Kankuro. He muttered something about cabbage, before wandering off again. As Sakura understood, Gaara didn't sleep very much, even with Shukaku's absence. She was sure he would be awake, even if it was early.

She hesitated at the large oak door leading to his quarters. What was the worst that could happen? Well, Gaara could kill her, but that would be a bureaucratic nightmare. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

No answer.

Sakura knocked again.

Still, no answer.

The pink-haired kunoichi pressed her ear against the door: she could hear sounds of someone moving around inside.

She grimaced. What right did Gaara have to ignore her – aside from his Kage status, that was? "Kazekage-sama?" She frowned, having never enjoyed giving such a title to someone who had once tried to kill her. "I'm coming inside!" And before she could lose her nerve, she turned the doorknob and pushed it open.

She had been right in believing that Gaara had been in his bedroom all along.

He was also completely naked.

She really shouldn't have been fazed. It was Gaara. What else would the stoic man be doing than standing around naked at the crack of dawn?

He stared blankly at Sakura as her face turned many different shades of fuscia, each one deeper than the last.

"G-Gaara," Sakura said, her eyes drinking him despite her mind urging her not to. _Muscles,_ she thought, taking in his lean, muscular body. _Scars,_ she appreciated the battle wounds embellishing his flesh. Finally, her eyes drifted downwards. _R-red._

She had not realized she had said it aloud until after a moment of staring, when Gaara said, "Yes...the red towel," as he pointed to a towel rack on the back of the door

Sakura didn't know whether Gaara had truly requested a towel before her mindless blunder, but decided she did not care, as she snatched a blue one and blindly threw it at him. Turning on her heel, she stormed out of the room.

The door swung closed, and a few moments passed, in which Gaara continued to stand around...naked. There was a draft, so he wrapped the blue towel around his waist. Behind him, a blonde head poked out from a mound of bedcovers. Slightly askew on her head was Gaara's rumpled white Kazekage hat.

"What the hell was that?" snapped Ino.

"Naruto's woman," Gaara said.

"Oh," said Ino. She climbed out of the bed, displaying her nude body as she approached Gaara and played her fingers along his chest. She was beginning to understand Shikamaru's fondness for missions in Suna. The nin there really were quite kinky. "I'm still a little drunk from last night. Do you want to..."

"Cuddle?" Gaara guessed.

"Actually, it's getting late," said Ino, as she started gathering up her things.

* * *

When Hinata awoke, Sasuke was already up and dressed, any visible part of his body wrapped in bandages, which included his arms, his legs, and his neck.

He had been right, Hinata realized, as she looked at him. He did have a rash, but it wasn't bad, at least the bit of it that she could see. There was a patch of red on his right cheek, but it looked more like he had been crying than anything else, or as though someone had slapped him. It was even sort of...cute.

"We have to meet Naruto and Sakura," the Uchiha mentioned, his voice still hoarse from all the coughing the night before. Hinata frowned and wondered why he was looking away.

"Un..." She agreed, when she suddenly noticed his shoulder twitch strangely, filling her with an irrational panic. "What's wrong!?" She demanded.

Sasuke gave her an odd look. "Itchy."

Hinata hated herself for the giggle that escaped her lips. She quickly covered her mouth, then scurried about, packing his things, fretting over him, and treating him as though he was made of glass. It only seemed to make Sasuke twitch more.

When they met Naruto and Sakura outside of the tower, the look of concern on Naruto's eyes only worsened Hinata's feelings of guilt. She was supposed to be taking care of Sasuke, but had been thoughtless, and had hurt him instead.

"But...I thought you didn't eat any of the lobster." Naruto frowned at the Uchiha.

Sasuke shrugged. "I was exposed to some by accident." He made it clear that he didn't want to discuss the matter any further by walking past Naruto, or maybe this was just another effort to hide what little they could see of the rash.

Naruto sighed. "It looks like he had a rough night."

Hinata bit her bottom lip but said nothing.

Sakura frowned as she listened to the conversation. She had never expected that lobster would be served at Gaara's party – and even then, she had never thought to update the false information she had given to Hinata. She had figured the Hyuuga would catch on at "putterfish," but it seemed the girl was gullible to a disastrous degree.

In addition to this, Sakura had always known Sasuke to mind his health, and had not taken into consideration the fact that he could be exposed to his food allergies during intimacy. It had never been a factor.

Sakura sighed, simply grateful to be headed back for Konoha. Suna was too hot, sunny, beautiful, and...sexual, if her evening spent at the Kazekage tower had taught her anything. The entire evening had been disastrous, if Sasuke's rash was any indication, Hinata's burning cheeks, and Naruto, whose eyes she couldn't even meet anymore.

As they walked down the road and along the forest, Sakura pondered upon ways to fix the mess she had made. When evening fell, and they had set up camp, she continued to contemplate on these matters, even as her eyes drifted closed.

"Sasuke?"

Hinata was still awake. Sakura groggily opened her eyes again. She was turned away from the Hyuuga, who couldn't have noticed she was still awake.

"Are you up?"

"Un," came Sasuke's muffled response.

Sakura idly watched Naruto sleep beside her, somehow hearing the whispers beyond his powerful snores.

"I-it's not that bad," Hinata was mumbling to Sasuke. "You're – still r-really a-attractive."

Hinata was clearly talking about the rash. Sasuke had been acting particularly withdrawn as of late. It was only natural for him. He despised all of his vulnerabilities.

"I love you," Hinata breathed the words.

Sakura looked down at her sheets, her heart clenching, because she knew Sasuke would never say it back. Never to her, never to Naruto, never the dozens of times they had assured him. She hoped this would be enough for Hinata, but was surprised when Sasuke countered, wearily-

"I love you."

* * *

She had never known that Sasuke could be so self-conscious, so insecure, and so...adorable. He had taken to avoiding her, but she wasn't deterred.

"But Sasu- I love your horrible rash," she said, bursting into a fit of giggles as he tensed and walked off.

She didn't know why she had taken to teasing him, it was just so – easy.

Her laughter stopped as she realized that their roles had been reversed.

She couldn't see what the problem was anymore. The visible rash on Sasuke's face had nearly faded. Was he always moping over such silly things?

By nightfall, he still had not said a word to her, and Hinata was on the verge of shaking him awake and tearfully apologizing, when she felt another's hand touch her waist. Blinking, she turned to see Sakura was awake.

Sakura...

The girl who had sworn Sasuke was allergic to "pie."

Hinata looked down, not knowing what to say to the other kunoichi.

"I'm sorry." It was Sakura who spoke first.

Sakura pulled out a small oil lamp and lit it, filling the tent with the orange glow of fire light, which caused the drooling creature on the right to absently smile, and the mass of sheets on the left to unconsciously recoil.

Sakura rubbed her face, trying to articulate her words. The two were facing each other, Sakura lying down on her side and leaning on her elbow, while Hinata was sitting up on her mat. "All of the things that I told you," Sakura whispered. "I had mostly been describing Naruto."

Hinata would have laughed had she found this to be funny. "S-Sasuke could have d-died," she managed, trying to control the onslaught of emotion that assaulted her. She swallowed and voiced her single query. "Why?"

Why had Sakura lied to her? Was she trying to sabotage her? Did she not approve of her relationship with Sasuke?

The emerald-eyed girl sat up. "I was worried he was using you. I knew that he – that he loved you. I just didn't think he'd ever accept it."

Hinata reddened and stared at her lap.

"But now I know he does. Even _he _knows it."

"Oh," was all that Hinata could manage.

Sakura smiled and offered a few truths. "Yes, he'll allergic to shellfish, especially lobster. We keep some syringes of adrenaline on hand – what you do is inject him in the muscle on his outer thigh."

Hinata nodded, but did not look up.

"He vents by training, and...sometimes he can go overboard," the lighthearted tone of Sakura's voice had faded, as had the amused crinkle of her eyes. "Sometimes he'll conceal his injuries if he's that bent on completing a mission. And when he gets home, he just…collapses."

Hinata raised her face to stare at the other girl.

"And sometimes Sasuke won't sleep for days on end," Sakura continued. "He has this unshakable – poker face. You could never tell that anything's wrong."

Hinata's lips parted, but she didn't know what to say.

"Oh, and...he really likes tomatoes." Sakura smiled.

Hinata blinked, snapping out of her reverie. "What?" she said, wondering if the pink-haired girl wasn't joking again.

Sakura shrugged. "That pretty much sums up Sasuke."

Hinata's eyebrows furrowed. "Just that? J-just those few things?" She was surprised by the anger in her voice. Sure Sasuke was sick, and hurting at times, but he was so much more than that.

"No," Sakura responded. "It's just...all that he's allowed me to see in the time we've known each other." To Hinata's surprise, Sakura poked her nose. "I'm sure you know the rest."

Blushing, Hinata quickly pushing the offending hand away from her. Sakura began to lay back down on her mat, and Hinata couldn't help blurting out, "What made you realize he wasn't u-using me?"

Sakura froze. She didn't want to admit she had eaves dropped on them the night before. What difference was one more white lie? "I heard him mumble your name in his sleep."

Hinata reddened more. She immediately mumbled "Goodnight" and took to hiding under her covers.

Sakura turned off the lamp. _Weird,_ she thought with a smile. Hinata seemed like a fun person to tease.


	24. Just a Formality

**Author's Note:**

I just realized the Hyuuga curse is the opposite of pon far. If Spock doesn't mate like every seven years I think, he slowly goes crazy and dies. I mean, Sasuke looks like a Vulcan. He acts like a Vulcan. They should just let Lee give him a bowl cut and officialize it already. O.O Then Hinata would have to make the moral decision of whether or not to save his life. xD

My review count dropped in half with that last chapter, I guess the majority of you disliked it? Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Even when I have something pre-written, I usually update weekly. That's how I posted this story originally, so people have time to read it, and review it, a week was usually sufficient for my regulars. But I just love you guys so much. Looking back at the original, you could have torn me to pieces, but never did. I don't think I ever got a single flame when I wrote it as a teenager, and I am astonished, because if I was one of you reading the original, I would never have run out of things to criticize.

I still have lots to learn. In a couple of years I'll probably think this is crap again, but right now, I'm having a lot of fun kind of racing though Light like its NaNoWriMo, and I'm pretty burnt out, but it will be worth it if I get to complete it.

I'm also a little addicted to updating. I just love getting things off my chest, and I love getting feedback. I mean what happens when my computer explodes or whatever? What would I do then?

Two more chapters after this one. Anyway I'm gonna try not to update tomorrow, and maybe not the next day either. This is the whole reason I have to quit fanfiction, I'm too obsessed. O.O But I just really want you guys to see what I'm working on with Light. At the same time, who knows, maybe it sucks. The original content of Light really frustrates me, grrr. Sometimes there's just not much to work with, I had to delete a lot. O.O

As for this chapter, I completely rewrote the last scene. The original was vomit-inducingly terrible.

Oh yeah, and someone doesn't think my winking is cool. Just for that –wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, wink– Man, it probably wasn't worth typing that, but whatever. That happened.

* * *

"But we have several varieties of pie," said the pie salesman. "Apple pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, chicken-pot pie-"

"I can't, I'm allergic," said Naruto apologetically.

"We have flourless pie? Or gluten-free pie? Non-dairy pie?"

"I'm allergic to pie!" Naruto screeched, flipping the table.

**Chapter 24**

The next afternoon, after hours of traveling through tree branches, the group had stopped for the afternoon to restock. There was plenty of water in the area, unfortunately however, little food to speak of.

Sasuke unraveled the final length of his bandages around his neck. Standing by the lake, he peered down at his reflection, his mouth slightly open, his face a mask of apathy.

Too-long bangs hung in his face, perfect teeth gleamed, eyes that had been dull and tired were dark and vivid again. Any sign of the rash had disappeared.

At the sound of a rustle, he spun around, arms raised in a fighting stance, but then relaxing. "Hinata?"

He could sense her now, and it was…odd. He had never been so intimate with a person that he could recognize the sensation of their chakra.

She poked her head out from behind a tree before reluctantly approaching him, trying to look nonchalant, and _not_ like she had been spying, but her blush gave her away.

So instead she tried to look at his face, but couldn't help staring at his muscled torso. "The rash is gone," Hinata mused, before raising her eyes to meet his. "So can you talk to me now?"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. "Why talk?" he said, folding his arms across his chest. He leaned down until his nose brushed hers. Nervously giggling, Hinata leaned up and closed the kiss.

A few yards away, across the lake, Uzumaki Naruto lay spread-eagle in the tall grass. He stared up at the clouds, every fluffy white mass seeming to look exactly like-

"Dammit," he growled, wrinkling his nose. He folded his arms behind his head, unwittingly raising it up just enough for him to notice two figures...across the lake..._making out._

"ACK!" the high-pitched squawk caused the two figures to freeze. Dropping his head, Naruto flattened himself against the weeds again, hoping to remain hidden. He released an annoyed huff. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" It only seemed to heighten his frustration. _I knew it! I – __**knew **__– it!_ His anger wasn't due to any lingering attraction toward Hinata or jealousy toward Sasuke. No. It was just that – that–

Sakura.

So he _was _jealous of Sasuke, but in a different way.

And he apparently hadn't been drunk enough that night in Gaara's office, because he could still feel her kisses on his lips – his neck–

"Shit," said Naruto, pounding his fist against the forest floor. Climbing to his feet, he leapt into the lake, causing a miniature water explosion, which in turn caused one of the figures to scramble away, and the other to remain still, linger, and stare.

* * *

They had reached the nearest town, and had found a small restaurant where they sat and silently ate together. Naruto had sent them to get food, and Hinata had the _tremendous suspicion _that this _wasn't _what Naruto-kun had meant.

The place was scattered with lunching parents and their children, husbands and their wives, and girlfriends with their boyfriends. Many people took notice the black and white-eyed strangers, stopping by the table to gush about _what a cute couple _they made. The Uchiha took to glaring at the passerby, while the Hyuuga merely nodded and thanked them.

Sasuke frowned down at his meal. He found that his eyes were constantly flickering upward to the girl across from him, who was absently shuffling a piece of broccoli around in her plate. Pink lips slightly parted, and large eyes half lidded, she seemed to be lost in thought. Though her face was alluring, his eyes drifted downward.

Hinata's body was equally nice. She had ample curves in all the right places. Though her clothing covered her up most of the time, he couldn't help remembering the glimpses he had gotten here and there, and the sensation of her body all the times she was pressed against him, lean stomach, full hips, long legs, and huge–

Sasuke paused mid-thought to notice his sharingan was activated. Cheek twitching, he deactivated it, cursing himself for his lack of self-control. It wasn't as though the sharingan could even see through clothing, not like the byakugan. Furthermore, it didn't seem _normal _for a man to use powerful doujutsu in an attempt to perve on someone. It would be like Shikamaru using his shadow imitation for bondage, or Chouji perfecting an Akimichi technique to make his penis three feet long. As Sasuke vowed never to think about such things again, he glanced back at Hinata and found himself staring again. That hazy look on her face was enough to throw anyone off.

The Hyuuga sighed down at her plate.

It was her first ever, real life, neutral, consensual, date.

Too bad it was already weeks following her first 1,000 kisses, and according to Sasuke, their date was "just a formality."

Just a formality.

Apparently he wanted to do a bit more than dining with her while in the village.

But how (the hell) could a date just be a formality when one says that it is "just a formality" – right before...right before...

Hinata felt her cheeks burn. She wondered whether she would be able to go through with it now that Sasuke was back to himself.

Then again...

She looked up, a piece of broccoli halfway into her mouth, when she noticed that Sasuke was watching her eat.

No. He was _staring _at her.

Hinata began to choke, and what had before been an absent gaze had become an odd look. He turned it to the window.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I – ano...I wasn't paying attention to what I was eating..." she had apologized numerous times as they left the restaurant, clutching his wrist as she followed him further into the town.

Sasuke sighed, irritated that Hinata required his forgiveness for choking in his presence. But she was slowly getting less insecure with him all the time, and maybe someday, rather than apologizing, she would just blame him. "It's okay Hinata, it was...really sexy." He was disappointed that she did not blush. She was getting accustomed to his taunts.

She instead shook her head and did something just as brutal. She tapped his arm and waited for him to turn to her, before leaning on her toes to kiss him sweetly on the cheek. Afterwards, he looked flustered and embarrassed, and Hinata liked the effect, so she kissed him again.

Back in Suna, they had been high on all the intimacy going on around them, and now that their first attempts at sex had failed, Hinata felt increasingly nervous, and half expected Sasuke's throat would close up again. It was as though fate was telling them _not _to do it.

When they got to the hotel, Hinata stared through the window, and watched the blue clouds drift across the darkening sky.

It had to be the Hyuuga curse.

"It's not the curse," said Sasuke, as though reading her mind.

Hinata turned to face him. "You know about it?"

"I read up on it at an old Uchiha shrine. As far as I can tell, it was just an old folktale to deter Hyuuga and Uchiha from interbreeding so not to corrupt either bloodline."

Everything Sasuke said seemed completely logical, but Hinata still struggled to suppress the lingering doubts in her mind. What if the Hyuuga curse _was _real? What if she and Sasuke were sacrificing their minds to consummate their affections?

"It would be worth it…if we went insane," he mentioned, approaching her and taking a lock of her hair in his hand. It was too long…which was what he really liked about it. He idly observed the violet undertones, and Hinata couldn't help but smile.

"It would," she agreed, blushing.

She thought about the doubts she had had about Sasuke, ever-flickering, ever-present, like a half-screwed light bulb or a frayed electrical wire. What if he _didn't _love her like he said. After he had her, would he be done for her? She knew by that point that she was just looking for excuses, but her heart was racing, and her doubts continued to tauntingly persist. The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them, "I c-can't." She couldn't forget the things Sakura had told her that night in the tent. Maybe Sasuke's heart was cold from abuse, and he never really loved anyone anymore. "I can't," she repeated, a little more softly, a little more to herself.

She wondered what Sasuke would do. Would he be angry? Would it all be over? Had this been the sole event their relationship had been leading up to all along?

"Oh," he said.

She met his eyes.

"Why?" Sasuke added, as an afterthought. He looked rather irritable about the whole thing, and yet his reaction was so mild, so _him, _she wasn't sure why she had thought there would be anything else.

"S-so you're o-okay with it?" said Hinata.

"No," Sasuke deadpanned. He twitched as she smiled. "I'm going to sleep."

"Wait," she grabbed his hand before he could go to the bed. The whole thing must have seemed really sadistic to him. "I was…ano…j-joking," she said unconvincingly.

"Funny," Sasuke responded with sarcasm.

"Y-you're not just t-trying to revive your clan, because–"

"Not now," said Sasuke firmly, so she dropped it.

"Then you have p-p-protection?"

He leaned to her ear. "Since the day I met you."

He seemed both amused and impressed when she pushed him away, looking flustered. She then walked to the bed and flung herself onto it. "Okay, you can have me."

Sasuke chuckled, and she had never heard him chuckle before. It was attractive, but also eerie, and she opened one of her eyes, then squeezed it shut again.

_I'm scared, _the heiress thought. No, she was _terrified._

Terrified of the male organ, which she had seen but once in her life, that time when Neji's pants had fallen down. Well...he _had _been eight.

Everything was white, including the bed, which made her glad, because her bed had always been white in those teenage fantasies of her and Na-Naruto-kun, um, making out.

Sasuke sat on the bed beside her, grabbed the front of her jacket, pulling her up and catching her lips in one motion.

Hinata responded to the kiss despite her nervousness, and she tried to keep up. Sliding her pullover off her shoulder, Sasuke's lips moved to a spot there he knew it be sensitive, and her body relaxed in response. A sexual groan escaped her lips, which just made her redden, quickly clamping her mouth closed. Sasuke ignored this, too busy kissing her sensitive spot, causing her to weaken and weaken in his hold.

"I…ano…that's really…nice," she told him, her body tingling.

Her eyelids drooped, and her breathing deepened, until Sasuke was satisfied with the state she was in. He began to slide down her zipper, and she didn't resist like she usually did.

"Which bloodline do you think would take dominance?" she asked.

Sasuke paused.

"Hypothetically?"

"The sharingan." After he had pulled off her jacket, he began to slide up her shirt, and her body stiffened.

"Do you want it to be me?"

She couldn't imagine it being anyone else.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Hinata shook her head. _No._

He successfully pulled off her shirt, leaving some of her hair hanging in her face. She helped him pull off his, desperate to break through the fogginess.

When his shirt was off, Hinata's fingers gently traced his spine, feeling it tremble beneath her touch. A small smile crossed her face when Sasuke's nose bumped hers, his eyes squeezed shut.

"You're very sensitive," Hinata said, finding laughter in her voice. She moved her hands to Sasuke's hair, which allowed his body to relax for the moment. _I was only touching his back, _Hinata thought.

"Un," said Sasuke, opening his eyes again. "I'm-" he searched for a less stupid word, and failed, "ticklish."

Hinata's smile broadened and she pecked his lips, one, two, three times for good measure. On the fourth, Sasuke maintained the kiss, and pushed her down to the mattress beneath him. He continued to kiss her, distracting her from his hand that had begun to unbutton her pants. Hinata deeply inhaled, but wiggled her hips to help him slide it off her.

When she only had a bra and panties left, Sasuke climbed more fully upon her, reaching behind her to unclasp the hooks of her bra.

Hinata's hand reached up and fumbled along the wall until she hit the light switch, but they were bathed in moonlight from the window. He finally got her bra off.

"I'm c-cold," Hinata lied.

"I can see that," said Sasuke.

"It's c-cold in here," she repeated emphatically.

Sasuke's eyes snapped up to her face. "This will warm you up," he assured her.

"Sasu…" she bit her lip, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.

He pulled a blanket over them. "Better?"

She nodded, and knowing not what to do, reached to unbutton of his pants, but her hand grabbed something else.

Sasuke's took a sharp breath, and she quickly retracted her hands, blushing hotly.

"It's fine," he said, a faint blush on his cheeks, and Hinata was reminded that he was a virgin as well.

Reaching more carefully for the button of his pants, she unzipped it, and kicked them off him, fastidiously avoiding his erection throughout the process. This left just some panties and boxers between them.

"Are you wet?" he asked plainly.

"I…ano…" She nodded, her face hot.

"Good," he muttered, and surveyed her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" This came out at a higher register than before.

His lips curled. "Then let's get started." In silent consensus, they removed their remaining articles of clothes, until nothing remained between them, and maybe nothing ever would.

As he kissed her, and kissed her, he guided himself with his free hand. "Just relax," he muttered, as Hinata's body tightened, a pained grunt escaping her throat. "…relax."


	25. The Morning After

**Author's Note:**

If it were up to me, I'd still be updating every day. Why do I have to suffer!? Why!? Why!? Why!? –flings self onto ground, crying hysterically–

Ahem, so anyway, tell me if you see the TCT nod in this chapter. I read the reviews as I received them, but I also read them all again just now, and I'm simply astounded by the amazingly kind things a lot of you said. Some of your reviews just made me burst into laughter. I wish I could respond to every single thing, but here are some of the main things:

In the previous chapter, when Sasuke asked her if she was wet, he wasn't trying to talk dirty, it was more of an "are you ready; is your body prepared." I guess he could have checked himself, though I'd have to figure out how he could do that without me violating the ratings parameters on this website. Was that just like a really uncomfortable line for you guys? Hm, I'll revisit the scene and see if I can make it less awkward.

And yes, it was definitely supposed to be awkward. I really don't like when virginal characters turn out to be sex-fiends the moment they step into a hotel room. And if its any consolation, the original was twelve times more awkward, complete with weirdness and crying.

I'm loving all the Naruto-sympathy I've been getting throughout this story. It's just refreshing when people love Naruto as much as I do, even in SasuHinaNaru triangles.

A lot of people asked why I put Gaara with Ino. Honestly, no particular reason. In hindsight, I wish I had just gone ahead and put him with Kiba's mom.

I'm not too concerned with side-pairings anymore, mostly because of laziness. You'll see glimpses of weirdness here and there, but nothing I'll get into unless it develops the plot (what plot?).

Well I'm leaving fanfiction because I have to work on my grad school applications, and also because of my inability to commit myself to an original project. I'm surrounded by peers with who I exchange writing criticism, and it's kind of made me accountable, because I've already run out of things to have critiqued. I'm detached from the characters I create, and I don't really know who they are because I'm too immersed in fanfiction projects. I've been writing fanfiction since I was like twelve.

My current favorite pairing is SasuKarin, cuz she's the most sexual/sex-conscious of the Naruto characters, she's mean, she's crazy, and she's hilarious. It reminds me of Bulma/Vegeta which was the perfectest canonical crack-pairing ever. I could totally see Sasuke losing his cool and blowing up at Karin like Vegeta does at Bulma, and then hopping into bed with her five seconds later, and they'd have the kinkiest sex. I think there are a few SasuKarin fanfics on my favs, check 'em out, I also have a one-shot posted, "Oblivious."

I don't have a tumblr. I'm not bald. O.O How could your boyfriend not like my story? Dx

One chapter left after this (oh noes!). I found the oldest version of A Light in Darkness I have, and posted chapter 1 on DevArt, which I linked at the top of my bio. I'll add more chapters when I get the chance. And I guess I'll call the sequel The Hyuuga Curse 2, here's an excerpt of my Hunger Games-inspired chapter which takes place in the forest of death:

_Kiba lowered his backpack, "Since it's getting late, we should start making camp and-"_

"_LET'S FINISH THEM!" Naruto screamed, tearing apart his jacket for emphasis. As he darted after teams nine and twelve, Sasuke smirked and followed. Hinata and Sakura hesitated, then took chase as well, wanting to make a good impression for the cameras. Kiba and Shino gave each other weird looks, but followed._

_Teams nine and twelve were just beginning to make camp a few kilometers away, Lee impaling a few squirrels he had befriended for the fire, when Naruto barged in on them, looking psychotic. Releasing an animalistic snarl, he lunged straight for Chouji's throat. Sasuke stabbed Tenten with his chidori blade, and Sakura bashed Lee's head against a tree with enough force to fracture his skull. Team eight could do little more than stare at the carnage._

* * *

**Chapter 25**

In a pool of white sheets, the two lay asleep facing one another.

One slept soundly, even as sunlight washed over his body. He lay on his side with the sheets drawn to his waist, one of his arms cradling his head, and the other upon his companion's hip. Their lips were inches apart.

Hinata shifted slightly, when she felt her lips press against something warm. She opened one of her eyes, and then the other, meeting Sasuke's closed ones, before she blushed and broke the unconscious kiss. She watched him for a while, before leaning over to kiss his chin, musing that as he slept like that, his face exposed under the light of the sun, he looked incredibly handsome.

She blinked as Sasuke pulled away, burying himself in his sheets. "Good morning," he said wearily, opening one of his eyes to glance through the window, then cursing at how late it was. Naruto and Sakura were going to start looking for them, probably starting with hotels.

He threw a glance at Hinata, realizing he had chosen a bad day to have a bad morning. He half expected her to start crying.

But she was simply watching him, sheets wrapped around her naked body, and cheeks dusted with a faint blush. "Good morning," she said meekly.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Morning…"

"Y-you already…said that…"

"Hn…"

And then they kissed each other, once, lightly, for no particular reason. When they broke apart, Hinata was wearing a dreamy smile.

Sasuke amended this. "You were good," he teased, smirking slightly.

He enjoyed watching as Hinata reddened then opened and closed her mouth, before just settling on pressing her lips.

"How do you feel?" he said. He pulled his sheets back and leaned on his elbow to scrutinize her.

_Concern, _Hinata thought, spotting it in his eyes. Her heart fluttered. "F-fine," she mumbled, but Sasuke didn't seem very convinced. "Sore," she confessed.

"Then rest for a while."

Hinata was hit by a wave of dizziness when Sasuke began to pull her closer, and she resisted. "No! You're n-naked!" she cried accusingly. It took her a few seconds to realize how stupid her statement had been.

The dark-eyed man stared blankly at her for a moment, before his gaze strayed downwards, causing Hinata to clutch her sheets tighter. "Of course I am." His cheek twitched. "So are you."

* * *

"Where the hell have you two been?"

"Sleeping."

"Training."

Hinata felt her face catch fire. She glanced up at Sasuke who was smirking. They had failed to establish a proper alibi. Naruto gave them a suspicious look, but dropped it.

The group resumed their trip back to Konoha, Sakura mostly muttering to herself about the delay, while Naruto spent his time watching her lips move. Sasuke walked in silence, neither saying a word nor paying much attention to his company.

And Hinata...Hinata bit her lip to keep any words from spilling out, as she was conscious that Sasuke had been ignoring her since they left the hotel several hours earlier.

Maybe she was over-analyzing the supposed issue. Naruto and Sakura were around now, and he obviously didn't want to let them on to what they had been up to.

Hinata stared at her hands, as they shook despite her. _Calm down, _she told herself, taking deep breaths, and trying to ease her racing heart. This was stupid. She was getting upset about nothing.

She looked at Sasuke's turned back. He seemed as impassive as ever, hands shoved into pockets, and eyes focused on the world ahead. What if Sasuke was done with her now that he'd had her? What if he didn't love her after all? "Sasuke?"

Her voice had been weak, but she knew Sasuke had heard her. He _always _heard her voice, even if he wasn't minding the words. His eyes rose slightly, but he continued to disregard her.

She should have just brushed it off, but her anxiety defied her, crippling her in a fantastic attack. Hinata stopped in her tracks, and–

Burst into tears.

She watched as the others kept walking, taking little notice of her breakdown. She tried to follow, but her legs refused to heed her, instead glued to the earth and threatening to buckle. She almost flopped down onto the ground, but his voice caught her, holding her up, as though with invisible strings.

"Hinata?" Sasuke was casting her a disbelieving look, like maybe he thought she had lost her mind.

Naruto and Sakura turned around as well, both staring in shock at their hysterical comrade.

"Hinata?" Naruto started to approach.

But he stopped in his tracks as Sasuke stalked past him, closing in on Hinata with so much aggression she tried to back away. He stopped just short of colliding with her, and peered down at her, his nose inches from hers.

Hinata gasped as he grabbed her jacket and pulled her against him, tightly, so tightly, in fact, she was having difficulty breathing, and suspected he was trying to suffocate her in his chunnin vest.

"It's okay," he said robotically, like he didn't really know what he was talking about. "Whatever it is – it's okay." Maybe he was regretting choosing such an emotional girl to fall in love with.

Hinata sobbed into his chest. "A-after last night, and – and n-now, you w-won't even t-talk t-to me anymore!" Her inhalations became deeper in her efforts to breathe, and maybe that had been Sasuke's intention. The attack slowly subsided, the world coming into better focus as she breathed, in and out, leaning more heavily on him in her weariness. He supported her by wrapping one of his arms around her waist, albeit still seeming rather irritated.

"We'll catch up," Sasuke called over his shoulder to his staring teammates. They hesitated, but turned and kept walking.

"What's w-wrong with me?" Hinata mumbled.

"You were hyperventilating," he deadpanned.

"I'm l-losing my m-mind!" she said. It must have been the Hyuuga curse!

"Un," Sasuke agreed indifferently, his free hand moving up and down her back, until her breathing evened out completely and her shaking subsided. She didn't know how long they stood like that, but she felt secure in his arms. When he finally released her, she stared up at him, her face still wet with tears.

"Sorry," said Sasuke, even though he didn't think he owed her an apology. "I've been…preoccupied."

Hinata balled one of her hands and rubbed her eye, looking so pathetic and adorable, it was an enigma. "Sasuke, d-do you – do you still–

_Tell me you love me._

But Sasuke's eyes has shifted to something beyond her shoulder, causing Hinata to turn around where she spotted a large squadron of shinobi exiting the woods on the right side of the dirt path. As she looked around, she could see others coming up behind them. She and Sasuke were surrounded.

Most of the shinobi were dressed in the grays of Cloud village jounin, their forehead protectors confirming their allegiances. In looking closer, Hinata saw a few familiar faces. She had seen several of them at Gaara's party in Suna. They carried weapons, but also, small spoon-like instruments that made her stiffen as she realized what they were. Though technically an ally of the Leaf, Kumo had never been on good terms with the Konoha clans.

"Hyuuga." One of the nin nodded to her. Hinata shuddered as the men licked their lips and gave her lecherous grins. Hinata glanced at Sasuke, who remained impassive. He was unfazed, unbothered, always carrying that over-inflated balloon of confidence that he never bothered to share.

_A minor inconvenience, _he thought.

"And the Uchiha," another said, noting his onyx eyes. At this, one or two of the shinobi actually stepped back, fully aware of Uchiha Sasuke's combat reputation.

"Be careful," some muttered. "Watch him," they said.

"Are you all right?" Sasuke said quietly, to Hinata, as the other nin closed in.

A circle had formed around them. As she fell into a fighting stance, she managed a nod, though she knew it was a lie. She was completely discomposed, and would be surprised if she didn't lose her balance. "Byakugan," she whispered, veins rising to flank her eyes. "There are even more up ahead, by Naruto-kun and Sakura-san." She watched their opponents inch closer, but had no fears with Sasuke by her said.

"Can you perform the kaiten?" he asked.

"Un," said Hinata, thoughtlessly. She was too disoriented to perform _any _technique.

"Then I'll get out of your way," Sasuke said as he dematerialized.

"But–" Hinata stared at the empty space Sasuke had occupied a second before.

Sasuke had left her alone, because he had confidence in her abilities, neglecting to take into account the fact that Hinata had little confidence in herself. Sasuke was accustomed to relying on his famed teammates who could hold their own in any fight, and so had left her there, alone, against many who out-ranked her.

At seeing Sasuke's leave, her opponents launched themselves at her.

"Kaiten!" Hinata shouted, spinning around, and disappearing in a vortex of her white chakra. When she stopped, she saw that several of the nin around her had been flung back onto the ground, but several had managed to avoid her attack.

She could hear the slashing of metal on flesh where Sasuke was fighting further up the road. Beyond him were the disgusting sounds of bones cracking, which could only indicate Sakura. Finally, there was the subtle whistle of wind and rasengan.

Someone suddenly leapt onto her, pinning her beneath him, and she managed to throw him off, but only after he had stabbed her with a kunai.

Hinata climbed up to her knees, one of the hands pressing the ground for balance, and the other clutching her stomach. She managed to get back up, but then folded, and vomited some blood. She fell into a fit of wet, disgusting coughs, more and more of her blood splattering the ground. Blots of blackness decorated her vision. She imagined Naruto cheering her on at the sidelines, but dismissed him. She wanted to see her boyfriend before she died.

He was really mean...and dark, and glum, and cold, no, _heartless_, and he rarely smiled (though when he did she melted to goo), and was hardly affectionate (except always when they were alone). In fact, it was kind of fun to see those sides of him that he never showed anyone else.

Naruto's excited howls some kilometers away reminded her of Kiba. She also heard Sakura scold him in response, even as she effortlessly smashed bones and snapped limbs. She heard a slash and then a thud, which must have been Sasuke decapitating someone.

The pain was unbearable. Her peripheral vision had gone completely black. _I think that...maybe...I have something I really want to live for. Even if I shouldn't. Even if it's just for _him_._

The leader of the squadron was wearing a tiger mask on his belt. He approached Hinata and began to execute some hand seals for a jutsu that was likely to take her down. He wasn't cautious, and he came too close.

With amusement sparkling in their eyes, his subordinates watched as Hinata fell forward, causing their leader to falter before he could finish his technique. He caught her by the shoulders before she could hit the ground, then slipped his arms around her waist, wearing that same lewd smirk many of his men sported. He didn't mind that his uniform was smeared with blood as Hinata weakly raised one of her arms, lightly patting the right side of his face. Blood trickled from his left air.

He fell in a heap to the ground, but not before she pushed him off her, even though she wanted to collapse as well. Startled gasps surrounded her, and then angry snarls. _I've lost too much blood, _Hinata mused, as it soaked her clothes, pasting it against her. The veins beside her eyes retracted as she ran out of chakra.

Where were Kiba and Shino? Wasn't this the point in which one of them stepped in? Or even Neji? Kurenai, Naruto–?

Her savior dropped from the sky in front of her, and she would have informed him that he was late, had she not finally allowed herself to close her eyes, sink to her knees, and drop to her side, where the earth caressed her and she slipped into beautiful blackness.

* * *

Her eyelids were heavy. It was silent except for the faint buzz of electricity above her. She felt something warm against her forehead.

Her eyes opening to slits, Hinata noticed Sasuke staring down at her. He looked upset, but she didn't know why. It was his hand on her forehead, idly brushing back her hair. As her eyes focused on his, his expression changed – to a collection of things she would never hope to catalogue. But there was pain, relief, frustration, then a terrible weariness. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Aishiteru." There was a kiss on her temple. "Kami," another, in front of her ear, "I love you."

* * *

The sterile odor was sickening.

She didn't like hospitals, and never had. Not since –

"Stop squirming," said Sasuke.

They were in a village neighboring Konoha. Sakura had wasted too much chakra to heal her, so they had rushed her to a hospital in the Fire Country. Naruto and Sakura then headed for Konoha without them so to inform Tsunade of the situation.

Hinata was not supposed to move around too much. Sakura had healed her enough just to stop the bleeding, so Hinata was waiting her turn for an additional treatment at the hospital, though the medics outside of Konoha were not as abundant, nor were they as skilled.

Hinata lay on her back, her hair splayed around her. She hugged a spare pillow to her chest, absently wondering why Sasuke cared. When she voiced the question, he threw a pencil eraser at her head.

"Because...you're stupid," was the best answer the Uchiha could come up with on such short notice. He was seated in the chair beside her bed scribbling something down on a piece of parchment against his knee. Hinata rubbed the spot on the forehead as Sasuke continued working on his note to Tsunade. Though his gaze was on the paper, he watched Hinata from the corner of his eye.

The heiress was staring at the ceiling through her half-lidded eyes. She wore a thin white hospital gown and white sheets drawn to her chest, beneath which was a long coil of white bandages encircling her waist. The pain had been numbed by drugs that made the world swim unpleasantly. "I...am," she mumbled. _Stupid. Weak. Useless._

"No you're not," Sasuke muttered, contradicting his prior statement. Hinata had been acting strangely since awaking. He eyed her IV line and wondered if her doctors weren't giving her too much pain medication.

The two looked up as one of them entered the room. "I'm sorry for the wait," said the middle-aged man as he examined Hinata's her chart. "We only have two medical nin on hand, and they've done what they can for the day. You should be out of here tomorrow morning."

As Hinata nodded slightly, Sasuke decided to speak. "Will she still be able to–"

Hinata looked down. _Sex._

"–have children?"

Hinata blinked in surprise. She felt her face catch fire.

"It's too early to tell," the doctor responded. "We'll have to wait and see how she heals."

Sasuke nodded and the doctor excused himself. Hinata's face continued to burn as she looked in the opposite direction. She slowly managed to turn to her side, if just to turn her back to Sasuke, and hope to be ignored. She wondered why Sasuke was concerned with whether or not she would still be able to have children. _His _children? She stuffed her face into the pillow she was clutching in an effort to smother the heat.

She had been sure that all he really wanted was sex. But...could it be that he wanted to stay with her? To marry, and to have children with her?

Her eyes widened. Maybe he just wanted her help reviving his clan. Maybe he thought they could make super-powerful Hyuuga/Uchiha hybrid babies he could use to take over the ninja world.

Hinata's eye watered as she realized this had to be his ambition. Evil hybrid babies. It all made perfect sense! She stiffened as Sasuke poked her arm. She didn't want this anymore – she wanted nothing to do with it!

So why did she melt, as he climbed upon the bed behind her, and draped one of his arms around her shoulders.

Hinata squeezed her eyes closed. "N-no," she stammered badly. "All y-you w-want are – e-evil – babies."

There was a moment of frozen silence, as Sasuke again glanced at her intravenous line. As he sighed, his breath tickled the back of her neck.

"You're absolutely right," Sasuke muttered tiredly. "I want," he pulled back some of her hair, "your children."

Hinata felt herself redden more.

"I want everything."

Everything? What did that mean? Maybe if she was sober, she might have figured it out.


End file.
